Small team.
Outsized reach.
Thought Projects is a purpose-built team of cultural practitioners with deep roots in Los Angeles and the Philadelphia Area. We combine curatorial expertise, public history scholarship, and production experience to deliver work that institutions couldn’t build alone. We specialize in developing and delivering programs that bring meaningful stories to life in public spaces where people gather.
Our team brings together specialists in curatorial practice, public history, exhibition design, community engagement, project management, fabrication, and visitor experience design. We are a nimble, highly collaborative firm capable of scaling our team to match the scope and complexity of each project. The strength of our firm comes from a team of experts who come on and off projects according to the needs of each engagement — this allows us to build exactly the expertise required: the right curator, the right designer, the right fabricator. With our extensive professional network, we bring the best people to the job.
Jessica Hough
The firm is led by Jessica Hough, founder and principal of Thought Projects LLC. She has had a 25-year career as a curator of art and history exhibitions and has held leadership positions including Director of Exhibitions at the California Historical Society, Director of Exhibitions, Publications, and Programs at the Hammer Museum, Director of the Mills College Art Museum, Deputy Director at ArtYard, and Curatorial Director at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. She served on the executive committee of LA as Subject, a USC-based research consortium, and is a graduate of the Getty Leadership Institute. She founded Thought Projects to bring curatorial rigor and genuine community partnership to projects in the public sphere — including exhibitions and activations for the Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles Unified School District, and a range of civic and cultural institutions across Southern California.
Andrew Werner
Andrew Werner brings more than twenty-five years of experience managing complex capital projects and large-scale institutional operations. As Vice President of Building Operations at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, he helped oversee all phases of construction, commissioning, operations through the grand opening of the museum. Previously, Andrew served in leadership roles at the Hammer Museum, USC Libraries, and the Getty Research Institute, with expertise in creating highly functional, efficient, accessible, and welcoming spaces that enhance the overall visitor experience. He has served as Project Manager for Thought Projects LLC since 2021, providing project management and administrative management services across museum and exhibition planning engagements.
LeRoy Stevens
LeRoy Stevens is an exhibition preparator and installation specialist with more than fifteen years of experience across Los Angeles and New York institutions. As Lead Preparator for Thought Projects since 2024, he manages exhibition and installation projects at the Los Angeles Public Library Central Library and LAPL branch locations. Prior institutional experience includes Lead Preparator at The Box (2011–2022), Preparator at the Hammer Museum, and Exhibition Technician at the Guggenheim Museum. His technical range spans exhibition design and fabrication, AV and media installation, 3D modeling, condition reporting, and supervision of installation crews including art handlers, engineers, carpenters, electricians, and designers.