Steven Villano began his post as the new curator of exhibits of Ketchikan Museums July 5. A Ketchikan Museums press release said Villano “not only brings a tremendous amount of experience designing and creating museum exhibits, he has grown deeply connected to the Ketchikan community and is very passionate to share the history of the First City.”
With a foundation in art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Villano’s interest in museums led to a focus in scenic art and a position in the exhibits department of the Field Museum. Bringing in his background as a musician as well as sound recording and engineering, Steven integrated sound into the collection and exhibits, transforming the museum experience. From there he was hired by the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco as a media consultant for a brand new building and exhibits. Continuing as an independent designer, he worked to develop several exhibits including the Money Museum in Mexico City, Brooker Creek Reserve in Florida and the Maritime Museum in San Francisco. Villano then took a post as the lead of exhibition preparation at the San Francisco International Airport Museum, creating fifty-two exhibits annually in twenty-five exhibit halls.
On tap with Ketchikan Museums are renovations to the Tongass Historical Museum with plans to nearly double space for exhibits. “Please join us in welcoming Steven to Ketchikan Museums, and in celebrating how fortunate we are to have him here to help tell the story of Ketchikan through exhibits of historic objects and images, and to have him in our community,” the release said.
