 Good morning, everyone. My name is Caroline Bowman. I am the director at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Thank you for braving the cold to join us for this historic occasion. We are absolutely thrilled that you are all here. I've been looking forward to this very moment for years, and it's amazing to finally share what we've created. To kick off the festivities, I'd like to introduce Dr. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian. The Secretary has provided unwavering support throughout this epic project, and we're honored that he could be with us today. Wayne. Thank you. Thank you. I know it's a little chilly, so I'll be brief. But this really is a dream come true for the folks who've worked so hard to make it happen. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our friends from New York City who were there every step along the way to the federal government who provided some money for this project, and to the great donors and board members of the Cooper Hewitt Board who stuck through thick and thin some remarkable accomplishment. This building was started in 1898. Robert Van Wick was the mayor, and Teddy Roosevelt was your governor. So it was a long time back, but I think they would be proud of what they see today. This is a museum. It is as beautiful as it's ever been, but it also provides maximum use of technology so this museum can reach the world, not just the local area and people who have it coming physically here. So it's just a dramatic moment for us. We're grateful for everyone who stayed with us. But what we're really happy about is you. This museum is yours. It is your museum. We want you to enjoy it, enjoy it for generations to come using this amazing facility that is now presented itself. It's a stellar accomplishment, and I'm proud of everyone on our staff who made it happen, Caroline and our facility staff, but particularly happy for you and for the generations to come who will make use of this facility in ways we haven't even thought of. Thank you for coming. Thank you, Wayne. We are America's Design Museum, and we're excited to be opening the doors in just a few minutes. New York City and the Smithsonian have been Cooper Hewitt's partners in this endeavor from the very start, and we're honored to have so many representatives with us here this morning. A huge welcome also to the seventh grade math and science class from Harbor Science and Arts Charter School, located on East 111th Street in Harlem just north of Cooper Hewitt's Design Center. Their school has hosted our free Design in the Classroom program. And later today, these students will be participating in an exciting educational workshop that's sure to get you all inspired about design. Exactly 112 years ago, today, Andrew Carnegie and his family arrived in New York from Scotland and moved into their new home here, where they lived for nearly the next half century. How wonderful that we're reopening the museum on the very same day that Carnegie's moved in. When it was built, the mansion was a technological marvel. But over a century later, it was no longer the most up-to-date building or museum on Museum Mile. So in 2006, we embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to renovate and reinvent Cooper Hewitt. The result is a brand new Cooper Hewitt, a true 21st century design destination. Since we closed the doors three years ago, the museum has undergone a total transformation. The team of 13 brilliant design minds we recruited helped us modernize and expand our physical space while we reimagined the visitor experience, including our new interactive pen, whose prototypes you can see this morning on the ground floor. The pen arrives in just a few weeks, and we can't wait for each of you to experience it. I would like to acknowledge Bloomberg Philanthropies, who embraced our courageous and innovative experiment with technology from day one. Their steadfast partnership has allowed us to develop a cutting-edge digital experience that we can't wait to launch. In terms of our physical space, you're welcomed by our eye-catching new signs, our illuminated piers, and 90th Street garden entrance. Our garden and new cafe are yours to enjoy, free of charge, beginning at 7.30 every morning. And on Saturday nights, admission is pay what you wish, thanks to the generosity of Barbara and Morton Mandel. As you will soon see, the breathtaking interior renovation has punctuated the historic character of this landmark mansion with many contemporary gestures, like our gorgeous new admissions desk and high-design visitor staircase. It's also resulted in an incredible 60% more gallery space. That's four full floors of design for you to explore and with filled it with 10 dynamic new opening exhibitions, helping us fulfill our mission every day to educate, inspire, and empower people through design. By incorporating interactive technologies and hands-on activities throughout all of the galleries, the museum experience makes our collection of over 210,000 objects come alive. None of this would have been possible without our entire board of trustees, under the leadership of Chairman Barbara Mandel and President Beth Comstock and the one-of-a-kind, one-of-a-kind Cooper Hewitt team. To quote today's Marvelous New York Times review, design is fun. You're going to play. And now, I have the honor of introducing Tom Finkelperl, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Tom. Thank you very much. And I just have a couple of brief things to say it is quite cold. First of all, it's really great to see the kids here. I think everybody knows that with the council and some friends in other parts of government, the number one administration priority for the arts is arts education. And you kids are the future. This museum is for you. I constantly get thanked for the contribution of the Department of Cultural Affairs. It's your money. It's the taxpayer's money, which is being put together with taxpayer money that goes to the federal government and our friends at the Smithsonian. So as much as you thanking the city for our contribution, we want to thank the federal government also. But we're really thanking the people of America and the people of New York City for a contribution. So with the private sector, so we got public, public, and private, this is a great partnership. This is the backbone of New York City's cultural life is those kind of public-private partnerships. And then just finally, this is a great moment for design. Design, we have to think out of our silos, out of, you know, there is the fine arts here and there's design and creativity is the future. You guys have to become creative thinkers and you're going to become creative thinkers through science, through arts, through design. So congratulations to the Cooper UIT. Thank you so much to our capital unit who worked on this, DDC's capital unit as well. It's a big group effort. I'm really proud to be here. Thank you so much. Thank you, Tom. I'm now very pleased to present Scott Stringer, New York City controller, who is with us at the ribbon cutting when we started the project many years ago. Thank you very much. You know, it's, you know, when I was in Hanborough, President, I did my share of ribbon cuttings and capital funding, but they rarely bring you back, right, for the, for the, and I'm very honored to be invited back because this is, this is truly a magical place and it was before the renovation and it's going to be going forward. And I just want to say that when you think about design and you think about the fund, you also have to think about the economy and what attracts people to our city, the young students, the people who want to be here because we are the cultural Mecca. This is a place that you must come visit, learn, ask questions. And I just want to thank Carolyn Bowman, the directors, the trustees. This was a full-on effort to do something truly special and thanks for bringing the old guy back one more time. Thank you very much. Thank you, Scott. Thrilled to introduce Gail Brewer, Manhattan Borough President. Thank you very much. I am honored to be here. And for the young people, can you imagine just like one family living in this big house? Oh my goodness. But you know what's great about it is that it is repurposed, that's our current term, to be the most phenomenal center of design and art. How many of you are interested in young people in design and art? Are you all interested in design and art? Look at that. Phenomenal, phenomenal. And I say that because the fact of the matter is you are going to have more gallery space. You're gonna be able to figure out how design and technology go together. I come out of the tech community. I know the importance of putting design and technology together. You'll be able to touch objects, try your hand at design in a new lab. You can step into an immersion room, create wallpaper designs that are then projected onto the walls. This is a museum meant for you, for digital leaners and the curious, visually oriented young minds of today. That's you. So congratulations to everyone at Cooper-Hewbett and to the Smithsonian and all the board members, all my fellow city council, Borough President and all of the mayor, administration, past and present, because you now are facing a 21st or 22nd century need. This Cooper-Hewbett is one of the few Smithsonian museums outside of Washington DC. The other one is the Indian Museum down in Bowling Green. And the Borough of Manhattan, we are really proud to be home of this important link to history and the design community. Congratulations. Thank you, Gail. Very happy to introduce Jimmy Van Braemer, Majority Leader New York City Council and Chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee. Thank you very much, Caroline. I too will be brief. I just want to thank you for your leadership. Let's give a big round of applause to Caroline for her amazing leadership on this project and to my colleagues in government, our great Comptroller, Scott Stringer, our great Manhattan Borough President, Gail Brewer and my colleague in the New York City Council, member Dan Geradnik, who's an amazing champion of his district, of this institution and of culture and the arts in the city of New York. Thank you so much. I just want to say, on behalf of Dutch Americans everywhere, thank you for choosing orange as your color. And Peter Cooper and his son-in-law, Abraham Hewitt, were also descendants of the early Dutch in New York as was Robert Van Wick, the mayor when this building was built, as is Jimmy Van Braemer, the Cultural Affairs Chair. So this is a Dutch experience for all of us. That was not the speech you were expecting this morning. I just want to say very briefly, design, art, culture, they're aspirational. They make us better. They drive us to better places. That's what this institution is all about. That's what culture and art and design are all about. And it's so great, such an honor to be the Chair of Cultural Affairs and to invest your money in great places like this. So enjoy, have a great time. Thank you so much. Thank you, Jimmy. We do like orange at Cooper Hewitt. Really honored to introduce Dan Garodnik, Council Member for District Four. And I'd like to add that Dan was one of the first to believe in this project and be behind us and all of us at Cooper Hewitt from the very start. So thank you, Dan. Well, good morning, everyone. And thank you, Carolina. Congratulations to you and to the board, Dr. Klough, all of the people who are joining us today, and all New Yorkers, really, because this project is really one of a kind. And I remember when it started, it was a great vision then. It's just only gotten better. And I'll tell you, one of the things that's so exciting about it is the fact that there are such great partnerships with our public schools. Not just this cultural institution, but so many here in this neighborhood. We love that, we value that. And the fact that we're not only advancing our digital opportunities and the way that we innovate and that we create, but we're also doing it in a space which has great history and where the renovations have been done respectfully to the building and respectfully to the culture of the institution and to the city. So that is a great combination. So today I say, let's warm up. Congratulations to all, and thank you for having me, always. It was a big moment. Let me share with you our beautiful 3D printed scissors thanks to 3D systems. And now we will try them out on our ribbon.