Sebastian Chan

Sebastian Chan

Director of Digital and Emerging Media, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (New York, NY)

February 4, 2015

Sebastian Chan is responsible for the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s complete digital renewal and re-imagining. He was previously based at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, where he was known for his expertise in open access, mass networked collaboration, digital strategy, cultural sector metrics, and cultivating innovation in the cultural sector.

Mr. Chan has also worked as a consultant for museums and libraries worldwide, helping them adapt and change to the digital age – notably with State Library of Queensland’s digital culture centre The Edge, Balboa Park Online Collaborative in San Diego, and the United Kingdom’s Culture 24 projects on cultural analytics with national museums and performing arts organizations. He was a member of the Australian Government’s Gov 2.0 Taskforce, and currently serves on several non-profit advisory boards.

In a former life, Mr. Chan served as a festival and event organizer, and as a magazine publisher in new electronic arts.


Role: Panel Member
Report: Leading in the Digital World: Opportunities for Canada's Memory Institutions (February 2015)