The following is a list of the Museum's creative team, as well as members of our advisory board.

Executive Director

HP Newquist
An award-winning author, documentary director, broadcast producer, and the former Editor-in-Chief of GUITAR Magazine, HP Newquist oversees the development of the The National GUITAR Museum. His unique background and experience are ideally suited to creating an innovative museum and exhibition that is both engaging and entertaining. During the course of his career, he has worked with hundreds of guitarists, written books that have been translated into dozens of languages, and worked on making advanced technology an everyday reality. His direction of the NGM has already attracted worldwide interest and support for the Museum.

Curators

Pete Prown
Founder of GUITAR SHOP Magazine and currently contributing editor at Vintage Guitar, Prown is one of the leading experts on the history of the guitar. He writes frequently on all aspects of the guitar, amplifiers, effects, and sound production, and is the author of several books on the guitar. He is also a prodigious recording artist, having produced, written--and performed on--the "Guitar Garden" releases.

Rich Maloof
Maloof is the founder of InTune, a magazine that goes beyond pop culture to explore the way that music is created, recorded, and produced. He was instrumental in the development of the original guitar.com, GUITAR Magazine, and Musician's Planet, and has written numerous books and articles about the guitar. He is a noted guitar instructor, having developed video instruction programs for True Fire and books in "The Way They Play" series

Museum Advisors, Guitarists

Ritchie Blackmore
Legendary Guitarist, From Metal To Medieval. There are few guitarists who've traversed more guitar ground than Ritchie. From his work in pop groups in the early 1960s to his electrifying work with Deep Purple and Rainbow, on to his passion for Renaissance and medieval music in Blackmore's Night, few guitarists have been as experimental as Ritchie. His riff to "Smoke On The Water" may be the single most recognizable guitar piece since the invention of the electric guitar.

Liona Boyd
The First Lady of the Guitar. Liona has long been revered as an icon in the world of classical guitar. Liona has performed in venues all over the world, and her talents have resulted in five gold and three platinum albums, five Juno awards (Canada's equivalent of the Grammy), five honorary degrees, and The Order of Canada. She is also a five-time winner of the Guitar Player magazine poll for best classical guitarist and has been inducted into its "Gallery of Greats."

Steve Howe
Yes, Asia, Solo Artist. Steve is widely recognized as one of the best all-around guitarists of the past hundred years. He was voted Best Overall Guitarist in Guitar Player magazine five years in a row, and the first musician to be inducted into the magazine's "Gallery Of Greats." In addition to his work with Yes, Asia, GTR, and his solo records, he has appeared as a guest on numerous albums, in styles ranging from jazz and ragtime to pop and progressive rock. He is also a noted guitar collector.

Pat Kirtley
Acoustic master. Pat's acoustic guitar abilities have won him accolades everywhere, not to mention the titles of U.S. National Fingerstyle Champion and National Thumbpicking Champion. His recordings cover a diverse range of styles from bluegrass to Celtic, many of which are featured regularly on National Public Radio. Pat is a regular performer at festivals and has become a well-respected guitar educator.

Steve Vai
Solo Artist, Frank Zappa, Whitesnake, David Lee Roth. There is no doubt that Steve is one of the most unique and innovative guitar players to ever pick up the instrument. His proficiency on the instrument is second to none, making him one of the most in-demand guitarists anywhere since his early 20s. His collaborations are legendary, ranging from Johnny Rotten and Al Di Meola to his frequent G3 tours. He is also a passionate instructor, conducting master classes and workshops all over the world.

Johnny Winter
Legendary bluesman, Solo Artist. With a career spent melding Texas blues with rock and roll, Johnny has created a legacy as the ultimate blues rocker. His performances in the 1960s, including Woodstock, brought gritty electric blues to national attention, and he has continued to inspire guitarists right up to the present. Always a captivating frontman, Johnny also produced award winning albums by blues pioneer Muddy Waters.

Joe Bonamassa

Modern day blues rocker. Joe first made a name for himself in the band Bloodline, which released its debut album in 1994 when he was 17. Since then, he has carved a distinctive path that has made him one of the premiere electric guitarists playing rock and blues today. Bonamassa's ability to fuse blues, rock, prog and even jazz garnered him a "Best Overall Guitarist" award from Guitar Player Magazine this year, and his 2010 solo album, "Black Rock," debuted at #1 on the Billboard blues charts. Joe will serve as an NGM curator for vintage and unusual instruments.

Official Photographer

Neil Zlozower
Perhaps the most unique photographer in all of music, Zlozower has been shooting bands live and in studio for more than 30 years. His photos have graced album and CD covers, magazine covers, concert programs, and t-shirts all over the world. His newest book, "Six String Heroes,"  features more than 100 legendary guitarists.

Science & Technology

Dr. Mark Lewney
Renowned physicist and winner of the FameLab competition, Dr. Lewney has done groundbreaking work on acoustics using the guitar as his inspiration. A popular lecturer due to his "guitar physics" presentations, his work has been featured by the BBC and in Science Magazine. His 3-minute video, dubbed "Einstein Meets Hendrix," is a must-see on YouTube. Dr. Lewney, who has a Ph.D in guitar physics from Cardiff University, is also a brilliant guitarist in his own right.

David B. Hill
Engineer and programming supervisor of the NGM's tech-driven elements—especially its touchscreen interactives and web based programs—Mr. Hill brings both technical skill and guitar knowledge to the NGM's operations. As the founder of David Hill & Company, he has overseen the development of programs used by organizations ranging from federal agencies to small businesses. Mr. Hill is also an avid guitarist and collector who hosts and coordinates guitar performance programs for acoustic musicians.

Design

Gerard Huerta
Known for creating some of the most recognizable logos in music—including AC/DC's lightning bolt logo—Mr. Huerta is responsible for designing many of the most popular logo and type images in the world. In addition to creating the logos for Boston, Foreigner, Blue Oyster Cult, Ted Nugent, and a host of other bands, he has designed and updated the famous logos and brand identities for PEOPLE Magazine, Nabisco, Rolling Rock, Swiss Army Watches, Ringling Brothers, and dozens of other organizations. In addition to his design skills, Mr. Huerta is an accomplished guitarist and performer.

Jim Shinnick
Having overseen design for some of the biggest trade publications in the U.S. during the past two decades, Mr. Shinnick turned his skills to all areas of design and production with the founding of his New Moon Design studio. From book and web design to custom illustration and layout, Mr. Shinnick's studio turns out eye-catching visuals. The "guitar cloud" design used for NGM's Traveling Exhibition was created by Mr. Shinnick and New Moon and puts every element of the tour into one striking image. When not designing, Mr. Shinnick is often found performing with a guitar in hand.

Videography

Douglas Seirup
Doug has worked in nearly every facet of film and commercial production, bringing a keen and focused eye to the development of the NGM's videos. He is the director of the recently completed Expect Miracles, a documentary on the plight of families in Appalachia. Prior to that, he worked on films including 3 Weeks to Daytona and Righteous Kill.  Doug also oversees Expect Miracles Productions, a video production company.

Administration

Sean McDevitt
National Communications Director
Having worked with most of the industry's guitar magazines in both editorial and administrative roles, Mr. McDevitt went on to help develop content for CNN's award-winning Internet business. From there, he took on head writer and senior producer duties at United Stations Radio Network, where he worked on the fastest-growing talk radio show in history. He now oversees day-to-day PR and communications for NGM, and can be reached at sean {at} nationalguitarmuseum.com.

Museum Advisors, Exhibition

Terrence Johnson, Chicago Line
Randy Kobler, VideoWest

Contact Info:

You can reach us directly at the following email address:
Director {at} nationalguitarmuseum.com

The People Behind NGM

Our development team is comprised of individuals and organizations from all over the United States, as well as notable representation from other countries.

In addition to the creative team and advisory board, we have an outstanding group of administrators, partners, and sponsors.