The fifth installment of the popular contemporary design exhibition series “Beauty — Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial” celebrates design as a creative endeavor that engages the mind, body, and senses. With a focus on aesthetic innovation, the exhibition features more than 250 works by 63 designers from around the globe, and is organized around seven themes — extravagant, intricate, ethereal, transgressive, emergent, elemental, and transformative. Curated by Andrea Lipps and Ellen Lupton, the exhibition’s projects range from experimental prototypes and interactive games to fashion ensembles and architectural interventions. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 2 E. 91st St. Through Aug. 21: Sun.-Fri.,10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Admission is $16, $10 for seniors, $7 for students at cooperhewitt.org; add $2 for purchase at the door. Free admission for visitors 18 and under, and on Sat., 6-9 p.m., pay what you wish.
