The Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan will present the U.S. premiere of the exhibition Nike: Form Follows Motion this fall. Originated by Germany’s Vitra Design Museum and curated by Glenn Adamson, the exhibition traces five decades of the brand’s history from a small Oregon running company to a global cultural force. The showcase will open on September 12, 2026, and remain on view through March 7, 2027.
The exhibition opening follows several major sports events in the New York City area, including the New York Knicks’ 2026 NBA Finals run, the FIFA World Cup 2026, and the 2026 U.S. Open. The featured items are drawn primarily from the Department of Nike Archives, a collection of more than 200,000 objects. Visitors will see experimental prototypes, original design studies, and rare pieces alongside famous footwear lines like the Waffle Trainer, Air Force 1, Air Jordan, Air Max, Flyknit, and Vaporfly.
According to Tim Rodgers, the museum’s Nannette L. Laitman Director, the exhibition shows how the objects closest to our bodies are where craftsmanship and design do their most meaningful work. Rodgers stated that the exhibition presents these artifacts to the American public for the first time, moving from early kitchen experiments of the 1960s to the advanced science of the Nike Sport Research Lab.
The exhibition is organized into four chronological sections. The first section, Track, focuses on the company’s 1960s origins under founders Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. This space displays early kitchen experiments that led to the first Waffle Sole, founding-era artifacts, and the history of the Tennessee State University Tigerbelles track team.
The second section, Air, covers the 1980s and the development of the visible Air sole introduced in the 1987 Air Max. It features engineer Frank Rudy’s original testing machine, air-bag prototypes, and details on partnerships with athletes like Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and LeBron James. This portion also highlights the company’s expansions into basketball, tennis, global football, and skateboarding.
The third section, Sensation, focuses on the Nike Sport Research Lab and the science behind footwear lines like Nike Free and the Vaporfly. It covers material developments like Flyknit and details the company’s research into circular manufacturing, ethical sourcing, and recycled materials.
The final section, Relation, explores the brand’s impact on popular culture, counterculture, and street style. The gallery displays fifty examples of footwear created through artistic partnerships and community-driven projects, surrounded by music videos and social media artifacts.
Throughout the galleries, the exhibition highlights internal designers such as Diane Katz, Tinker Hatfield, and Eric Avar alongside external collaborators and athletes.
The Museum of Arts and Design will host a series of public programs during the exhibition run. Events include a September 19 conversation between curator Glenn Adamson and Nike Senior Director of Corporate Narrative Nicholas Schonberger, a design culture event co-hosted with AIGA NY, and adult workshops. Devonn Vidal, founder and CEO of Sneakky Klean, will lead monthly sneaker care and customization workshops, and the museum will hold drop-in art activities on select Thursday nights.
A 356-page publication containing essays by scholars Sam Grawe, Adam Bradley, William Myers, Jared Dalcourt, and Ligaya Salazar accompanies the exhibition. The book contains nearly 300 images and will be sold at The Store at MAD alongside exclusive exhibition merchandise. Tickets and scheduling information are available on the museum’s website.
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