Frankie Vagnone is a Public Historian and Architectural Designer (MA, Columbia University, 1992) who leads the highly respected international cultural consulting firm Twisted Preservation. In addition, he is President of the Newport Restoration Foundation and Director of Rough Point Museum (Newport, Rhode Island, USA). Before his current practice, Frank was CEO of Old Salem Museums & Gardens and The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts -North Carolina, USA, (A 100 acre national historic landmark district and living history site), Executive Director of the Historic House Trust of the City of New York (managed 23 historic locations in the five Boroughs of New York City), and The Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks (a collection of history sites and heritage tourism programs in the 5-county region).
Along with numerous published articles, he is the co-author of the best-selling museum-related book, The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums (2016, with Deborah Ryan), and recently authored case studies in the edited books Sound Heritage: Making Music Matter in historic house museums (2021, with John Yeagley), and in Change is Required (2023). Vagnone’s blog, Twisted Preservation, is read in over 90 countries, and his professional practice concentrates on marginalized narratives and cultural institution innovations.
His work has been recognized through numerous awards, winning 5 NYC Lucy G. Moses Preservation Citations, the 2019 American Institute of Architects Advocacy Award Recipient, and the Museum Association of New York State’s prestigious Individual Achievement Award (2016). He was chosen as one of “2020’s Impactful Heroes of the South” by G&G magazine and has appeared in numerous documentaries and conferences.
A self-described culture vulture, John Yeagley, VP of Twisted Preservation brings an international perspective to the firm, having lived and worked abroad in places as diverse as Bangalore, Brussels, Moscow, and Barcelona. In addition to his extensive instructional design, research, and project management experience, John provides key logistical support and is fluent in multiple languages, including Russian, French, Spanish, and English. John concentrates his energy on cultural mapping and intangible heritage experiences.
The strength of Twisted Preservation Cultural Consulting (TPC) comes from the national team of consultants utilized for the various projects. In choosing unique and forward-looking projects, the team at TPC brings together a myriad of experiences, backgrounds, and ideas.
(Right/Top) Michelle Moon, Research, Food history maven & Author of “Interpreting Food at Museums and Historic Sites” ; (Left/Top) Elon Cook, Research, African American Public History, Genealogist & Race Woman; (Left/Bottom) Meredith Farmer is a professor who writes about Herman Melville, teaches queer theory, blogs about fetish, and rails against the idea of “identity.; (Middle/Bottom) Cedric Benetti, Research, Art & Architectural Historian, and Author(Bottom/Right) John-Duane Kingsley is a decorative art and design history researcher and curator; “Free” Jeffrey A. Harris, Historian and Preservationist specializing in diversity and historic site interpretation.
Twisted Preservation 