Sara Hougan

Sara Hougan is an experienced museum professional who has worked with multiple international institutions to develop successful exhibitions. Her most recent credit, Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition, just extended its successful, multi-city US tour. The exhibition opened in London in 2019, then traveled to Berlin and on to the US in 2021. In curating the exhibit, Sara worked directly with the Mandela family, South African museums and historic-preservation groups, and powerful individuals to develop an experience that is now serving as a convener for the US’s important conversation about racial injustice.

As an independent consultant for more than ten years, Sara has developed traveling exhibitions for MuseumsPartners and the Museum Practice. In addition to her museum-oriented work, Sara has created location-based entertainment concepts for multiple companies, including Ripley’s Entertainment, Saban Experiences, and WOW Explorations.

Before branching out on her own, Sara worked for West Office Exhibition Design, where she drove the content development for a 42,000 sq. ft. science exhibition at the Liaoning Science and Technology Museum in Liaoning, China. Before that, she was the curator and education director at the Great Harbor Maritime Museum.

Sara began her career overseeing cultural programming at the prestigious Boston Children's Museum, where she organized major festivals, contributed to exhibit development teams, and created school programs and materials to support BCM's traveling exhibits. She continues to harness tools she learned in Boston to create exhibitions and experiences that encourage active participation to inspire, delight, and educate.