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Llisa Demetrios, chief curator of the Eames Institute and granddaughter of Ray and Charles Eames, at the entrance of the Eames Archives.

About the Eames Institute

Founded in 2019 and launched in 2022, the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to advancing the legacy of 20th-century designers Ray and Charles Eames by sparking curiosity in the world around us. Over the course of their decades-long partnership, the husband-and-wife duo approached design as a tool for problem-solving and discovery⁠—driven by curiosity, refined through iteration, and always guided by purpose.

The Institute now carries forward this ethos through its stewardship of multiple legacies, places, and ideas. At the Eames Archives, the Institute cares for a collection of more than 40,000 artifacts from the original Eames Office. At the Eames Ranch, the Institute and our partners explore agriculture as an act of design, focusing on regenerative farming methods, land stewardship, and water conservation. Our forthcoming museum in Novato, CA, will further expand public access to the Institute’s programs and collections. The Institute also continues longstanding traditions of publishing, design discourse, and visual inspiration through its stewardship of select legacy businesses, including William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco and Zürich-based Lars Müller Publishers.

Across these efforts, the Institute is building a new kind of cultural organization, one that preserves history not as static memory, but as fuel for creative possibilities for the future. We seek to inspire creative problem-solving that positively shapes our world. Read our Impact Report to see how this mission comes to life through our programs, partnerships, and community.

Become a Member

Your support helps us preserve the Eames legacy, sustain our collections and archives, and build a museum that celebrates the power of design in everyday life.

As a member, you’ll receive program updates, special invitations to members-only events and experiences, and access to behind-the-scenes content.

Learn More

Board of Trustees

Meet the Team

  • Emily Bahret

    Emily Bahret

    Creative Operations Manager

    Ask me about: sporks, soups, true crime docu­mentaries, and what I’m currently crocheting

  • Hank Bailey

    Hank Bailey

    Facilities Technician

    Ask me about: sports, music, and food/cooking

  • John Cary

    John Cary

    Founding President & CEO

    Ask me about: my kids, running, VW Buses, banana seat bikes, EVs, Craigslist hijinks, and the color orange

  • Brittany Ceres

    Brittany Ceres

    Chief Operating Officer

    Ask me about: my kids, grief, wilderness awareness, the gender spectrum, and Enzo Mari’s 1950s “16 Animali”

  • Llisa Demetrios

    Llisa Demetrios

    Co-founder & The Lucia Eames Chief Curator

    Ask me about: my grandparents, the Collection, life on the Ranch, and the Petaluma Arts Center

  • David Evershed

    David Evershed

    Senior Farm Manager

    Ask me about: all things farming and gardening, Southern Utah and desert ecology, interesting rocks I have found, mantis shrimp, and why I love poison oak!

  • H Brogan Gealey

    H Brogan Gealey

    Bookseller

    Ask me about: my favorite animated shows

  • Joanna Gold

    Joanna Gold

    Digital Assets Coordinator

    Ask me about: embroidery, the lost Franklin exhibition, paper conservation, and Star Trek pulp novels

  • Kaylah Greenwell

    Kaylah Greenwell

    HR Coordinator

    Ask me about: R&B music, anime, sports, and the newest make-up trends

  • Portrait of Jori

    Jori Hayner

    Finance Director

    Ask me about: pitbull rescue, container gardening, building a sea serpent, and Burning Man preparations

  • Piper Haywood

    Piper Haywood

    Software Engineer

    Ask me about: why the internet should be a utility, the joys of blogging, margaritas, “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction”

  • Erik Heywood

    Erik Heywood

    Senior Director of Retail

    Ask me about: British poetry, Danish design, American art, French cinema, and Mexican drive-thrus

  • Standing portrait of Angelika Ingham.

    Angelika Ingham

    Senior Bookstore Manager

    Ask me about: mid-century American poetry, the language of flowers, and folk ballads

  • Joni Joseph

    Joni Joseph

    Senior Collections Manager and Registrar

    Ask me about: museums, IPM, and quilting

  • Nicole Klock

    Nicole Klock

    Senior Director of Human Resources

    Ask me about: the best beaches (and plate lunches) on Oahu, the band Loaf, and a very spoiled Goldendoodle

  • Steven La Gatta

    Steven La Gatta

    Facilities Technician

    Ask me about: local birding hotspots, wildflowers, community living, thoughts on creativity, and my dream Grateful Dead setlist

  • Bridget Leslie

    Bridget Leslie

    Experience & Membership Coordinator

    Ask me about: brutalist architecture, my latest art project, sci-fi books, and how to take the most unflattering picture of a cat

  • Chloe Looker

    Chloe Looker

    Visual Designer

    Ask me about: birdwatching, craft ideas, how to make a mushroom spore print, and the risograph machine

  • Angled front view of a Llama named Lulu.

    Lulu

    Llama in Residence

    Ask me about: where the grass is greenest, hetero­chromia, the few times I’ve made a run for it

  • Sara McBeen

    Sara McBeen

    Senior Experience Operations Manager

    Ask me about: vintage office supplies, The Fixers’ Collective, my kids, and my Petaluma joke

  • Seated portrait of Zoe Minikes.

    Zoe Minikes

    Digital Design Lead

    Ask me about: friendship studies, harp, bees, joke books, equitable publishing, Detroit

  • lauren c. molina

    lauren c. molina

    Digital Collections Manager

    Ask me about: extraterrestrials, the Sonoran desert, intertidal zones, driving to/from LAX

  • Margaret Ann O’Connor

    Margaret Ann O’Connor

    Executive Assistant to John Cary & Llisa Demetrios

    Ask me about: my kids, musical theatre, old movies, and Ann Arbor

  • Daniel Ostroff

    Daniel Ostroff

    The Dr. Pratapaditya Pal Chief Scholar

    Ask me about: movies, museums, Asian art, unself-conscious design, and tacos

  • Liz Poisson

    Liz Poisson

    Chief Financial Officer

    Ask me about: living in Colorado, my grandchildren, and downhill skiing

  • Kyla Searle

    Kyla Searle

    Senior Director of Operations

    Ask me about: dramaturgy, documentary filmmaking, California history, and raising a puppy

  • Austin Smith

    Austin Smith

    Assistant Bookstore Manager

    Ask me about: my favorite books this season, the best places in California to do karaoke, and Nicolas Cage’s best movies by decade

  • Standing portrait of Devon Smothers.

    Devon Smothers

    Workplace and Logistics Specialist

    Ask me about: national parks, food, sports, electric vehicles, and travel

  • Keeane Speed

    Keeane Speed

    Bookseller

    Ask me about: the inconvenience of convenience, playing piano, cycling, and my favorite movies

  • Ann Spradlin

    Ann Spradlin

    Editorial Director

    Ask me about: sidewalk gardening, the serial comma, Little Free Libraries, and the least use of freeways

  • Alex Tolbert

    Alex Tolbert

    Ranch Hand

    Ask me about: surfboard design/materials, Albe Falzon’s “Morning of the Earth,” Bonzer Theory, hiking, snow surfing, and Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli films

  • Emily Vigor

    Emily Vigor

    Senior Director of Collections

    Ask me about: the archives, Northern California design, baking, and stained glass projects

  • Portrait of Nico

    Nico Zurcher

    Senior Photographer

    Ask me about: cycling the trails of Marin, bikepacking, JWST, and micro­expressions

The Eames Ecosystem

Now in its fourth generation, the Eames family and partners have contributed to upholding and advancing the cultural, educational, and design legacy of Ray and Charles Eames for more than 80 years. Today, this work continues through a remarkable trifecta of the Eames Institute, Eames Foundation, and Eames Office.

At the request of the Eames family, the Institute saved and fully owns both the Eames Ranch and the Eames Collection. Under the care of the Institute, the Collection has been inventoried, conserved, and dramatically expanded through additional acquisitions and donations to become one of the most comprehensive collections of Eames designs and related ephemera in the world. The Institute invites thinkers, makers, and creators to explore design and harness the power of curiosity to shape a better tomorrow.

Reconstituted in 2025, the Charles & Ray Eames Foundation serves as the guardian of the historic Eames House (Case Study House #8) in Los Angeles. It aspires to complete the 2018 Getty Conservation Management Plan to ensure its preservation. Additionally, the Eames Office, founded by Ray and Charles themselves, carries on the Eameses’ body of work via longstanding collaborations with manufacturers Herman Miller and Vitra⁠—cornerstone partnerships that were initiated by Ray and Charles during their lifetimes.

Contact

For general inquiries, reach out to info@eamesinstitute.org. For press inquiries, reach out to press@eamesinstitute.org. Follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, and sign up to our newsletter to stay in the know.