Wayne LaBar
Principal and Founder
Wayne LaBar is a recognized creative leader and innovator in the world of museum science centers and their experiences. Immersive environments, real things and real processes, emotional relevance, and striving to make the world better are the hallmarks of Wayne’s approach to the museum field.
Prior to ALCHEMY studio, Wayne’s time was spent as the principal of Liberty Science Center’s LSC Experience Services business unit and Vice President of Exhibitions and Featured Experiences. He oversaw thematic content, exhibitions, large format films, and 2D/3D/overall design at Liberty Science Center (LSC). LSC’s experiences are recognized as having succeeded in making the Center’s informal experiences more relevant to guests’ everyday lives; educating and inspiring action toward globally relevant issues; addressing ongoing developments in science and technology; and enhancing the Center’s learning and aesthetic environment—redefining the role of a modern science center.
While at LSC, Wayne and his staff explored how new technology can encourage guests to interact with exhibitions and the exhibition process – including the first mobile phone experiences within a science center and the use of social media to engage the public directly in the development and design of an exhibition. With 25 years of museum experience and numerous papers and presentations, Wayne’s former roles include Director of Exhibits at The Tech Museum (San Jose, CA), Project Manager at Krent/Paffett Associates, Inc. (Boston, MA), and Project Manager at the Carnegie Science Center (Pittsburgh, PA).
He is the Vice President of the Board of the National Association for Museum Exhibitions. Wayne obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a graduate of the Getty Museum Leadership Institute.
Publications
Contributor. Heritage and Social Media;: Understanding heritage in a participatory culture, Ed Elisa Giaccardi, Routledge, 2012
Co-editor, Creativity and Technology: Social Media, Mobiles and Museums, MuseumsEtc., 2011.
“Engaging The Public,” New Thinking: Rules for the (R)evolution of Museums: A Collection of Essays, MuseumsEtc., 2010.
“Engaging The Public,” Science Exhibitions: Curation and Design, Ed. Dr. Anastasia Filippoupoliti, MuseumsEtc., 2010.
“Exhibit Commons: Liberty Science Center’s Open Source Experiment,” Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions, Ed. Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollack, ASTC, 2007.
“The Public Is a Team Member,” Exhibitionist, Fall 2009.
“NAME RFP Ar.01 Request for Proposals For: Writing an Article about RFPs,” Exhibitionist, Spring 2007.
Barnowsky, A., and LaBar, W., “Mid-Miocene Environmental and Tectonic Setting Near Yellowstone Park, Wyoming and Montana,” Geological Society of America Bulletin, v 101 (1989), pp. 1448-1456.