NEW YORK.- The "National Design Triennial," a series of exhibitions exploring contemporary design in the United States, was inaugurated in 2000 by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, to study and celebrate the technological innovations, artistic evolution and cultural impact of design. Following the enormous success of the first "National Design Triennial," the museum presents the second "Triennial," subtitled "Inside Design Now," on view April 22, 2003 through January 25, 2004. The "Triennial" reviews new ideas and future horizons across the fields of current practice, from architecture and interiors to product design, fashion, graphic design and new media. It is the only exhibition of its kind in the nation.

On view will be the work of 80 designers and firms, including such emerging voices as architects Escher + GuneWardena, fashion designer Tess Giberson and product designers Daniel and Christopher Streng. Also featured are noted industry leaders whose work continues to evolve abd inspire, including architect Peter Eisenman, product designer Gaetano Pesce, graphic designer Paula Scher, lighting designer Jennifer Tipton and fashion designer Isabel Toledo. Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger of Antenna Design have created a major interactive installation for the Museum’s Great Hall, in which the movements of viewers in the gallery trigger a projection of animated cherry blossoms. The exhibition contains more than 300 objects, models, photographs, films and renderings, and will occupy the museum’s first and second floor galleries.

"Inside Design Now" is organized not by a dominant style or theme but by the spirit and focus of each designer and project selected. The exhibition, curated by Ellen Lupton, Donald Albrecht, Susan Yelavich and Mitchell Owens, is conceived as a journey from object to object, guiding visitors along the currents of contemporary design practice through a striking collage of artifacts and images.