Carnegie Libraries Crossword Puzzle

Andrew Carnegie’s influence as a philanthropist is a topic that artist Tommy Mishima knows well. For Making Home — Smithsonian Design Triennial, a 2025 exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, he created a board game called Philanthropy. Inspired by Monopoly, the game’s objective is to become the most influential philanthropist through grantmaking, fundraising, and research. Mishima also created a set of complex drawings and charts for the exhibit that captured the power and intersections of Carnegie’s giving.

In this crossword puzzle, Mishima gamifies one of Carnegie’s most influential acts of philanthropy: his funding of more than 2,500 Carnegie Libraries around the world between 1881 and 1917. “I’ve been making puzzles and games for my friends since I was a teenager,” says Mishima, who immigrated with his family to New York City at age 17 from Lima, Peru. “I have always been interested in using games to create narratives and tell stories.”

Crossword puzzle and illustration of the Braddock Carnegie Library by Tommy Mishima. Born in Lima, Peru, Mishima received his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and his BFA from Parsons School of Design. He has exhibited in galleries across the United States and Europe.

Kelly Devine is the principal director, content and dissemination, at the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.