Cooper Hewitt

Cooper Hewitt MCP Connector for Claude

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Access the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum collection — search objects, explore exhibitions, and retrieve detailed metadata about design history.

22 tools Official Updated Jun 28, 2026 Official Vinkius Partner

Connect to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum API and explore one of the world's most comprehensive design collections directly through your AI agent.

What you can do

  • Search the Collection — Find objects, people, and media using keywords, colors, or specific time periods via search_collection and search_objects.
  • Object Details — Retrieve rich metadata, including descriptions, participants, exhibition history, and color palettes using get_object_info and get_object_colors.
  • Visual Exploration — Access high-quality images and visual assets for design research with get_object_images.
  • On Display — See what is currently featured in the museum's physical galleries using get_objects_on_display.
  • Random Discovery — Get inspired by pulling random objects from the vast archive with get_random_object.

How it works

  1. Subscribe to this server
  2. Enter your Cooper Hewitt API Access Token
  3. Start exploring design history from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client

No more manual searching through web archives. Your AI acts as a specialized design historian and researcher.

Who is this for?

  • Designers & Creatives — find inspiration and historical context for projects directly in your workflow
  • Researchers & Students — extract precise metadata and exhibition histories for academic or professional study
  • Developers — integrate rich cultural heritage data into applications without complex API wrappers
museum-apidesign-historysmithsonianart-collectionmetadata-search

22 tools expose this connector's capabilities to your AI agent.

get_exhibition_info

Return detailed information for an exhibition

get_exhibition_objects

Return objects displayed in an exhibition

get_object_colors

Return the color palette for an object

get_object_exhibitions

Return exhibitions featuring an object

get_object_images

Return images for an object

get_object_info

Return detailed information for a specific object

get_object_participants

Return people involved with an object

get_objects_on_display

Return a list of objects currently on display

get_person_images

Return images of a person

get_person_info

Return detailed information for a person

get_person_objects

Return objects associated with a person

get_random_object

Return a random object from the collection

list_exhibitions

Return a list of exhibitions

list_rooms

List all rooms across locations

list_sites

List all location sites

search_collection

Search for things in the collection

search_objects_faceted

Search for objects and return faceted results

search_objects

Search specifically for objects

spec_formats

Return the list of valid API response formats

spec_methods

Return the list of available API response methods

test_echo

A testing method which echoes all parameters back in the response

test_error

Return a test error from the API

See how to talk to your AI agent using Cooper Hewitt.

Search for objects in the collection related to 'Bauhaus' that have images.

I've searched the collection for 'Bauhaus' items with images. I found several objects, including a 1923 wallpaper sample (ID: 18491569) and a tea infuser. Would you like to see the detailed metadata or images for any of these?

Give me the color palette for object ID 18639529.

Fetching the color profile for object 18639529... The palette includes 'Vivid Tangerine' (#FF9F80), 'Dark Charcoal' (#333333), and 'Light Gray' (#D3D3D3).

Show me a random object from the museum to inspire my next design project.

Here is a random selection: 'Bird and Anemone' textile (1882), designed by William Morris. It's a block-printed cotton fabric featuring intricate floral and avian patterns. Would you like to see its exhibition history?

Yes! Use the `search_collection` tool and provide a hex color or CSS name in the `color` parameter to find items matching that aesthetic.

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