Design

Design museums in Washington and New York will shine the spotlight on textiles, tools and techniques this spring. Here is a shortlist of the season's best bets.

CONTINUING

"OPEN: new designs for public space" explores inventive ideas for urban revitalization from leading architects including Peter Eisenman, Rafael Viñoly and Zaha Hadid, at the National Building Museum. Through May 15.

MARCH

4 -- "Hella Jongerius Selects: Works From the Permanent Collection" celebrates the avant-garde Dutch design star, at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Through Sept. 4.

5 -- "Tools of the Imagination" presents an array of means and methods that architects have used in their work, from pencils and triangles to sophisticated computer programs, at the National Building Museum. Through Oct. 10.

11 -- "High Fiber" gathers examples of milestones in 20th-century fiber art from the permanent collection, at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Through July 10.

APRIL

1 -- "Textiles for This World and Beyond: Treasures From Insular Southeast Asia" explores the role of cloth in culture, at the Textile Museum. Through Sept. 18.

8 -- "Extreme Textiles: Designing for High Performance" considers high-function materials from aerospace to transportation, at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Through Jan. 15, 2006.

19 -- "Eva Zeisel: The Playful Search for Beauty" presents the first survey of the modern ceramics designer's work in 20 years, at Hillwood Museum & Gardens. Through Dec. 4.

MAY

18 -- "The Initiated Eye" looks at the role of Freemasonry in Washington's architectural history and events, at the Octagon. Through Dec. 31.