What does it take to build one of the world's most innovative immersive art companies from a group of struggling artists with little more than creativity and determination? In this episode of Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab, Antonio Velasco sits down with Vince Kadlubek, co-founder of Meow Wolf, to discuss the remarkable journey from scavenging materials out of dumpsters in Santa Fe to building a company that has raised more than $100 million and transformed the immersive entertainment industry. Vince shares the pivotal decisions, leadership lessons, and creative philosophy that fueled Meow Wolf's extraordinary growth.

The conversation also explores the realities of scaling a mission-driven organization, navigating the pressures of leadership, and preserving a creative culture as the company expanded. Whether you're a museum leader, nonprofit executive, or entrepreneur, you'll gain valuable insights on innovation, resilience, fundraising, and designing experiences that leave a lasting impression on audiences.

Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.

Jonathan Foerster, CEO of the Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, never planned to run a museum. He started as a journalist chasing stories, then found his way into nonprofits where he discovered that fundraising, leadership, and community building are really just storytelling in disguise. In this episode, Jonathan shares how curiosity became his operating system, why he raised membership prices and grew membership at the same time, how he is future-proofing the museum with an on-site preschool, and what the National Museum of African American History and Culture taught him about what a great museum visit should feel like. Whether you work in nonprofits, museums, or any mission-driven organization, this conversation is packed with honest, practical insight.

Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.

What happens when a world-class designer trades global projects for a single desert garden and completely transforms it?

In this latest episode of Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab, Jamie Maslyn Larson FASLA, CEO at Tohono Chul, shares her unexpected journey from leading landscape architecture projects across cities like New York and Copenhagen to reimagining a 49-acre botanical garden in Tucson, Arizona. With no prior nonprofit experience, Jamie took a bold, design-driven approach and rethought everything from visitor experience to community access.

The result? Attendance nearly doubled, new audiences poured in, and the garden became a vibrant cultural hub for locals.

From experimenting with summer night programs to breaking down internal silos and redefining what a public space can be, Jamie offers a candid look at leadership, creativity, and the power of taking risks.

If you are interested in museums, botanical gardens, public spaces, or leading change inside complex organizations, this conversation is a masterclass in turning vision into reality.

Listen to the latest episode to hear how one leader turned experimentation into impact and brought an entire community back into nature.

Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.