She was with the Orange County Museum of Art when the walls were bare and its galleries empty, and she was there when eager visitors wrapped around the side of the building waiting for their chance to go inside.
Heidi Zuckerman has led the charge at OCMA since 2021, overseeing the completion of the museum’s new home at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, curating several of its critically acclaimed exhibitions and facilitating funding for 10 years of free admission.
On Wednesday, April 16, Zuckerman announced her intentions to move on at the end of the year from her role as the museum’s CEO and director, coinciding with the end of her contract.
Overseeing OCMA has been the highlight of her nearly 20-year career as a museum director, Zuckerman said. She came to the museum from the Aspen Art Museum.
One of her two favorite days at OCMA was when the museum stayed open for 24 hours, celebrating the opening of its $94 million new digs, she said.
“We had 10,000 visitors in that first 24 hours. We had movies for insomniacs, a silent dance party on the roof deck, sunrise yoga,” Zuckerman said. “Art is fun, and it can be for anyone.”
Her second favorite was this Valentine’s Day, when lovers crowded the museum halls, she said.
“There was a line of people waiting out front, and the galleries were filled all day long with people holding hands,” she said. “I just felt so proud to be able to offer that opportunity for people to spend the day looking at art for free with people they love.”
David Emmes, OCMA Board of Trustees chair, said Zuckerman is an experienced art professional, but it’s her artistic eye that sets her apart.
Zuckerman took the time to understand the museum’s art collection, Emmes said, and pulled pieces “together in a way that people could relate to and understand and have that exposure to both modern and contemporary art.”
“She really cares deeply about people,” Emmes said. “In her operation of the museum and her presentation and people’s experience coming into the museum, you’re going to see that touch of hers, which is how to get up close, how to experience it, how to feel it. I think that comes from her great desire to connect with people.”
Access to art is a basic human right, not a privilege, Zuckerman says.
“That’s why having free admission here at the museum was really key for me,” said Zuckerman, who found a donor in Lugano Diamonds to cover admission for the first decade. “I hope the museum stays free forever. That would be a dream.”
Following her exit in December, Zuckerman said she will focus on her bi-weekly podcast, “About Art,” as well as her media company, HZ, Inc., which is also centered around the art world.
“My commitment is to continue to do that in the broadest possible way,” Zuckerman said. “With media, giving people access to these artworks and these artists and these conversations wherever they are, even if they can’t come to this building, that’s my goal moving forward.”