South Street Seaport Museum: Its Future Is Shipshape

It’s the first port of call for anyone who wants to learn about where New York City began.

The South Street Seaport Museum, located on Fulton Street, has preserved and interpreted the history of New York as a great port city since it opened in 1967. The Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries, education spaces, working 19th-century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels.

Jody Heher, the newly appointed COO of the Seaport Museum, is praised by Museum President and CEO Jonathan Boulware for understanding how to achieve balance between the big picture and the small yet significant details required to make the Museum’s diverse and ambitious work possible.

Heher is an experienced strategist, leader, and manager with an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. She will avail her skills and knowledge garnered during her years at Yeshiva University Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Jewish Museum to manage operations, oversee budgets, and collaborate on long-range exhibition planning.

Straus Media sat down with the seasoned cultural professional to find out what impact she hopes to have on the Seaport Museum.

What exactly are your duties as COO at the museum?

It’s my responsibility as Chief Operating Officer to help to implement the programming and guide the staff to realize the museum’s goals and vision.

The museum itself is about New York City and its people. We are inclusive. We engage the community. We want visitors to look in the window and see themselves reflected. So, our vision and goals are closely aligned with that.

What drew you to the South Street Seaport Museum as your next career challenge?

It’s an exciting time for the South Street Seaport Museum. Last year, the museum opened the Thompson Building and has three floors of exhibition space related to the museum’s permanent collection. There’s also space in that building for changing or temporary exhibitions.

I was also drawn to the staff and volunteers. There are people who have been here for many years whom I had the opportunity to talk with throughout my interview process. I was just so impressed by the level of commitment, professionalism, and dedication.

What do you hope to accomplish in your first year?

Well, I’m just literally nine days into my job. I’m understanding everything that the museum does, who we serve, currently engaging through programs and exhibitions, at our shop, etc., and who we could engage. So, I’m certainly thinking about what the next year could look like.

How do you see the museum’s role evolving in telling New York’s story?

Well, I think it has. New York is one of the most diverse places. We are living history, right? I think that the museum has done such an exceptional job of adapting to the shifts and changes, and I expect that that will continue in the future.

We hope that people come to the museum, whether through programs, exhibitions, or collaborations, and that they’re able to see themselves. That’s one of the things that makes this museum exceptional: everything is always changing, and the museum can be a place that is nimble and can adapt to those changes and think about and interpret the objects in the collection, present programming. Whatever that looks like now and in the future.

What learning from your previous museum jobs will you bring to your new position?

I’ve had experience in very small organizations, certainly large organizations, and medium-sized organizations, in a variety of different administrative roles. My focus has really been arts administration. That’s where my expertise is, certainly where I’ve built my skills. All of that experience that I think has been well-informed, I hope and expect that it will benefit the South Street Seaport Museum.

Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth or development at the Seaport Museum?

I’m still understanding the museum’s current operations. I think our goal really is to engage as much of the community and visitors, too, as much as possible. It’s early for me to speculate in terms of growth and development. But I think that there’s a strong program in place at the museum, and so much of our work is tied to community engagement. I think certainly there will be opportunities for growth in that area.

South Street Seaport Museum 12 Fulton Street, NY, NY 10038 (212) 748-8600Hours: Friday–Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.

The Museum’s galleries are also located at 213 Water Street, the historic ships Ambrose and Wavertree are permanently moored at Pier 16, and the 19th-century-style gift emporium and letterpress print shop Bowne & Co., Stationers are at 211 Water Street.

Tickets: Adults $18, Seniors and Students $15, Children $5

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel “The Last Single Woman in New York City.”