As a passionate music fan and activist, Deana McCloud has shared her time and talents with numerous organizations over the years, from her work with the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival to her term as the founding executive director and chief curator of the Woody Guthrie Center.

In 2022, McCloud started a new venture called Museum Collective. While based in Tulsa, the job has taken her around the world with a host of museum professionals and immersed her in a world she loves.

McCloud credits Bob Santelli, the founding executive director of the GRAMMY Museum and current executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, for the idea to form the Collective, which creates special exhibitions and programs for museums and cultural institutions. In addition to McCloud, Santelli and some Los Angeles-based specialists — Tulsans Steve Howie (Route 66 Wraps and Signs), Ari Palitz (Narrator Studio) and master craftsman Jim French — all contribute their skills to the different projects, which have included exhibits for Boston’s Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame and its historic Wang Theatre. 

“I think my favorite part is working with such incredible people to honor the past, celebrate the present and nurture the future,” McCloud says. “We knew our Collective family was supportive of one another, but we’re gathering so many new friends to the tribe, which makes work so much more gratifying and inspiring. I come away from each project with incredible pride and joy based on the way the host facilities feel about working with us. That’s a pretty beautiful thing.” 

McCloud’s work allows her to get up close and personal with some pretty amazing music artifacts — items like Lead Belly’s 12-string Stella guitar, Pete Seeger’s banjo, instruments from the Dropkick Murphys and even guitars and a stage outfit from Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. McCloud is working on a retrospective traveling exhibit on The Band. With The Band’s (now deceased) drummer Levon Helm’s close ties to Arkansas, McCloud hopes the exhibit will make its way to this region. 

In the end, it’s all about connection.

“The relationships that were formed from my time working on programming for the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival and then the Woody Guthrie Center are vital to everything we do,” she says. “So many of the lenders from whom we borrow treasures aren’t just business contacts; these are dear old friends who know we can be trusted to tell the stories and care for their items.” 

Learn more on Instagram @museum_collective.