Together with his wife, Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson is the creative force behind 21c Museum Hotels. He’s found success by using his passion and intuition as a guide in hospitality, farming, preservation, philanthropy, investing and collecting contemporary art.

Aiming to engage the public with art in a new way, Wilson and Brown converted vacant buildings into an interactive museum, boutique hotel and restaurant. Today, 21c Museum Hotels has expanded into seven cities, a multi-venue museum with more than 70,500 square feet of exhibition space. Much of the art exhibited at 21c Museum Hotels draws from the couple’s personal collection of more than 3,000 works. Though their tastes in art differ, their approaches are the same: never buying for investment, but rather for the love of the work.

As Chairman of 21c Museum Hotels, Steve is focused on ensuring the original vision of 21c Museum Hotels is translated into each project through art, architecture, hospitality, and food. Under his leadership, 21c was launched into the national spotlight, and the brand has sustained a tremendous growth trajectory. Prior to founding 21c, Wilson’s public sector career included work for the administrations of four Kentucky governors. He remains an active member of Louisville’s civic community, as well as the national arts community. Wilson serves on the National Committee of the Whitney Museum, the Kentucky Horse Park Board of Directors and is a founding member and past President of the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.