Museum of 21st
Century Design
Our mission
We exist to enhance public understanding and appreciation of design from the 21st century that positively impacts society and the environment. M21D follows a new approach to serving the public as a museum. It is not a consistent physical space, but a compilation of temporary exhibitions in different locations, public programming, publications, and an online collection.
M21D is focused on the future, rather than the past. We're about conversation, not conservation. We're a tool for education and community building.
How we work
M21D organizes exhibitions and programs, conducts research, produces publications and presents an online collection to highlight how design contributes to achieving greater social and environmental justice — two primary concerns of the 21st century. We strive to make content as accessible and compelling as possible, so that anyone can comfortably learn about the possibilities of design.
We are seeking organizations to collaborate with on producing exhibitions and programs, as well as possible incubation support.
Email us to connect.
Exhibitions and programs
Our public activity will be nomadic and prioritize formats that have the highest potential for fostering discourse and engagement. This may be in a public space, online forum, festival, conference, or other unconventional medium. We will meet audiences where they are and will sometimes surprise them.
All exhibitions and programs will be thoroughly documented with photography and video and archived alongside the online collection.
Admission to all exhibitions and programs will be free of charge and open to everyone.
Design collection
Design is more than architectural plans and industrial objects. Design happens anytime a person translates intention into function. We include everything from web interfaces to strategies for social activism in our definition of design. M21D showcases design developed since 2000 that reflects the cultures from which it has arisen, demonstrates creative synthesis of form with function and prioritizes the needs of users and their communities.
Along with organizing temporary physical exhibitions, M21D maintains a virtual design collection. Price, carbon footprint, recyclability, working conditions and wages of people working on production and the experience of people using it are researched and recorded in the collection.