The Cooper Hewitt’s new director will guide the national design museum through an era of heightened social awareness

In March, Maria Nicanor assumed the directorship of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Born in Barcelona and raised in Madrid, Nicanor possessed an innate curiosity about how the material world works that led her to pursue an education in art and architectural history, while her desire to tell stories about what she learned took her on a path of curatorial studies. Over the past 17 years, she has held a variety of positions at institutions in Europe and the United States that interpret and present architecture and design to the broader public. AN editor in chief Aaron Seward recently connected with Nicanor to discuss her new role, what makes the Cooper Hewitt special, and what might be in store for the museum’s next chapter.

Read the full interview with Cooper Hewitt Director Maria Nicanor at aninteriormag.com.