National Museum of American History | Smithsonian Institution
In leading Experience Design at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Chris Wilson works to engage visitors in conversation about our nation’s rich and diverse history. Chris founded several major program series at the Smithsonian including: History alive! theater programs, interactive and emotional presentations of stories of America’s past that resonate in the nation’s present; the National Youth Summit series, engaging high school students nationally and internationally in conversation about relevant history; and the History Film Forum, an exploration of film as public history. Chris has worked on exhibitions including Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life, American Democracy, and The Greensboro Lunch Counter. Chris spent 18 years at Henry Ford Museum before moving onto the Smithsonian in 2004 to take the role of director of the African American History Program at the National Museum of American History. In this role he oversaw the Program’s rich collection of oral histories, interviews, and recordings as well as researched and produced programs primarily focused on the Civil Rights Movement. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his Master’s in History from Wayne State University. He has earned numerous accolades for his innovations in education and publishes book reviews and articles for Smithsonian magazine. Chris is currently working to relaunch his Time Trials program, which explores history and memory, as a series of graphic novels and a television program.
