WHY Museums is our answer to a thorny contemporary question. How can museums reflect a rapidly changing, diverse culture – can a monumental and memorable building also be nimble and responsive? Brian Butterfield leads the workshop in strategic consulting and design for new and evolving museums, rethinking the relationship between the hardware of the museum’s physical form, and the software of its operations, programming, and visitor experience.

Brian joined WHY in 2019 as the Director of the newly formed Museums Workshop. He brings 15 years of experience in architecture, exhibit, and furniture design for museums, and was formerly the Senior Design Manager for Exhibitions and Capital Projects at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. There he managed a team of architects, exhibition designers, producers, and lighting designers, executing over sixty temporary and permanent projects annually, including all exhibitions at the Met 5th Avenue and the Met Breuer. He has held faculty positions at the Yale School of Architecture, where he was the Director of Exhibitions from 2011-2014. He is a graduate of Yale University.