Exhibition “Cooper Union: A Work in Progress” opening may 7th
Exhibition opening May 7 @ 5pm in the Library of the Cooper Union (with refreshments)
Curated by: David Gersten
“My earnest desire is to make this building and institution contribute in every possible way to unite all in one common effort to improve each and every human being…” — Peter Cooper
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art commemorates its 165th school year with The Cooper Union: A Work in Progress, an exhibition celebrating the institution’s sustained position at the intersection of education and socio-political change. From its founding in 1859, The Cooper Union has been the site of speeches that changed the course of history, a meeting place for political organizers, and a haven for some of the nation’s greatest activists. A Work in Progress highlights The Cooper Union’s history of fostering social change and invites us to reflect on ways to meet the pressing issues of today.
In its first school year, Abraham Lincoln delivered his “Right Makes Might” speech in The Cooper Union’s Great Hall on February 27, 1860. With the nation on the brink of Civil War, Lincoln’s address unified the Northern anti-slavery movement and established his position as a national leader in the process. Lincoln’s speech set the tone, embodying Cooper Union’s position as a crucible for visionary ideas and civic action.
In the 165 years since, the Great Hall has continued to be the site of galvanizing speeches made by leaders of change including Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the 19th century; W.E.B. Du Bois, Bobby Seale, and Gloria Steinem in the 20th; and John Lewis, Bill McKibben, and Bernie Sanders in the 21st. The Cooper Union has also been the site of teach-ins during the Vietnam and Iraq wars, and a gathering place for members of grassroots organizations including the NAACP and Act Up. When The Cooper Union faced threats to its founding principles—of Free Education to All—the institution saw its history of activism embodied in the community's remarkable response, through the Free Cooper Union Movement.
From its founding, the educational environment of The Cooper Union has been inextricable from its position as a site for social changemakers to incite, plan, and take political action. Curated by David Gersten, President and Founding Director of Arts Letter and Numbers and Distinguished Professor and Director of Interdisciplinary Learning, at the Cooper Union. Co Curatad with Cooper Union’s faculty, staff, archivists, and students, The Cooper Union: A Work in Progress details this legacy through a timeline highlighting significant world events; socio-political movements; pedagogical innovations; and the physical evolution of its campus. The exhibition draws on three archival repositories on campus: The Cooper Union Archives & Special Collections; The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture Archive; and the Herb Lubalin Center for Design and Typography. Together these materials chronicle historic moments of socio-political change and their connection to Cooper’s educational mission.
The Cooper Union: A Work in Progress transcends commemoration. The Cooper Union’s activist legacy—civil rights, voter’s rights, gender equality, labor rights, and responses to the ongoing crises of war—clearly resonates today. As we mark this anniversary, we are reminded of the reciprocal relationship between education, social movements, and community engagement. The exhibition invites us to celebrate our history of action and dialogue and allows it to galvanize us, in the face of contemporary crises, to envision and fight for a more just future.
All alumni of Cooper Union and Arts Letters & Numbers are warmly invited to attend the opening reception.
Curator: David Gersten
Co-curators: Meztli Castro Asmussen, Steven Hillyer, Mary Mann, Yuri Masnyj
Editors: Matthew Bower, Adrianos Efthymiadis, Sarv Gersten
Design: Inessa Shkolnikov, Mindy Lang
ON VIEW SPRING/SUMMER 2025 IN THE COLONNADE WINDOWS OF THE LANDMARK FOUNDATION BUILDING