Background and Experience
Professional Practice
Project experience includes themed entertainment, art galleries, natural history and science centers, cultural history and heritage museums, foundations, public space, and corporate business centers.
John relaunched his planning and design consultancy at the end of 2019 after serving in a lead position at several prestigious design firms. He continues to contribute on projects with past colleagues and on newly formed project teams.
Principal
chiodo.DESIGN
Current
Senior Planner
Gallagher & Associates
2007 to 2019
Gallagher & Associates is an internationally recognized exhibition design firm. John was originally recruited to lead joint venture teams based in Shanghai and Singapore. There he developed concept plans for highly competitive projects for the pacific asian market which resulted in large wins, such as the Shanghai Natural History Museum. More recently John led numerous master planning projects for the San Francisco office.
Director of Design
Academy Studios
2000 to 2007
Academy Studios was a world class exhibition design and fabrication firm. As Director of Design John served as creative and management lead for the design and content department. He applied his leadership skills to make the department more inspired, productive and successful than any other time in its twenty-year history.
Senior Designer
Portico Group
1997 to 2000
Portico was a renowned firm of architects, landscape architects, interpretive planners and exhibition designers. John served as an integral part of this multi-disciplinary design team responsible for the planning and designing of exhibit elements incorporated within architectural and landscape architecture projects.
Principal
Chiodo Design
1992 to 1997
Early in his career John operated a successful freelance exhibition design consultancy building off seven years of architectural practice. He collaborated on numerous exhibition projects for prestigious clients including award winning exhibitions for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Architect
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
As a registered architect, John worked for various architectural firms culminating at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill before shifting into the world of exhibition design.
Project Experience
@ chiodo.DESIGN
MUSEUM MASTER PLANS
The New Mexico History Museum | Santa Fe, NM
The new China National Museum of Natural History | Beijing, Peoples's Republic of China
In Collaboration with Gallagher & Associates, Singapore
Three new archaeology-based museums | UNESCO World Heritage Site
In Collaboration with Gallagher & Associates, Singapore
29 Palms Band of Mission Indians Museum and Cultural Center | Coachella, CA
PHYSICAL / DIGITAL INTEGRATION
Visitor Center | Washington DC
In Collaboration with Balboa Park Online Collaborative on physical-digital integration of new lobby experience
Science Center | PA
In Collaboration with Ideum on physical-digital integration of hybrid multi-media / exhibition space for this new science center
EXHIBITION DESIGN
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Daniel's Story, Remember the Children, End Experience | Washington DC
In Collaboration with Darcie Fohrman Museum Exhibitions and Independent Exhibitions on the redesign of the end experience of this exhibition
@ GALLAGHER & ASSOCIATES
EXPERIENCE CENTERS
The City of Hope Experience Center | Duarte, CA
Hong Kong Jockey Club Experience | Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Jabil “Blue Sky Center” | San Jose, CA
Sony Motion Pictures Entertainment Visitor Center | Culver City, CA
Singapore “Media Fusion Centre” | Singapore
John Deere Pavilion Upgrade | Moline, IL
MASTER PLANS
Comic-Con Museum | San Diego, CA
“Destination Crenshaw” | Los Angeles, CA
“Bisbee Queen Mine Attraction” | Bisbee, AZ
“Red Planet” Mars Exploration Attraction | Dubai, United Arab Emirates
GLBT Historical Society Museum | San Francisco, CA
San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA
California Historical Society | San Francisco, CA
National Museum of Western Art | Jackson, WY
Al Wathba Environmental Learning Center | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
“Legends of Smith Tower” Tour | Seattle, WA
“Green Planet” Tropical Rainforest Attraction | Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Shanghai Natural History Museum | Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Stewart Indian School | Carson City, NV
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History | Santa Barbara, CA
Changbai Natural History Museum | Changbai, People’s Republic of China
China Wetlands Museum | Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
Wuxi Science Museum | Wuxi, People’s Republic of China
@ ACADEMY STUDIOS
The Museo Interactivo de Economia | México City, México
Smithsonian Institution, American Art Museum | Washington, DC
Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum | Albuquerque, NM
Capital Unity Center | Sacramento, CA
The Henry Ford | Detroit, MI
Make a Wish Foundation | Salt Lake City, UT
Audubon Institute | New Orleans, LA
Sea Center - Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History | Santa Barbara, CA
San Diego Museum of Natural History | San Diego, CA
San Mateo County History Museum | San Mateo, CA
Brooker Creek Environmental Education Center | Tarpon Springs, FL
Far West Heritage Association | Chico, CA
San Joaquin Valley Paleontological Foundation | Madera, CA
@ THE PORTICO GROUP
Corkscrew Swamp Visitor Center, National Audubon Society | Naples, FL
Thornton Creek Environmental Learning Center | Seattle, WA
Kidspace Museum | Pasadena, CA
Children’s Museum of Richmond | Richmond | VA
Issaquah Hatchery Visitor Center | Issaquah, WA
Science City at Union Station | Kansas City, MO
@ CHIODO DESIGN
“Daniel’s Story”, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Washington, D.C.
Outer Bay Wing, Monterey Bay Aquarium, | Monterey, CA
“Rotten Truth About Garbage” Traveling Exhibition | Washington, DC
Steinhart Aquarium | San Francisco, CA
“Hottest Thing on Earth”, The Tech Museum of Innovation | San Jose, CA
The Hawai’i Nature Center | Iao Valley, HI
The Maritime Center | Norwalk, CT
“Penguin Coast,” The Brookfield Zoo | Brookfield, IL
“Tropical Discovery”, Denver Zoo | Denver, CO
South Carolina Aquarium | Charleston, SC
“…John is a multi-faceted planner who's has an amazing background leading national and international teams in creating story-based experiences. I've always enjoyed our collaborations, and look forward to the next one.”
— Doug Munday, Independent Exhibit Design Consultant