Rachel Ferrante, executive director of Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, stands March 12 in the museum at 35 Canal St. in Lewiston. “We’re a really small staff, so I wear a lot of hats and I like wearing a lot of hats,” she said. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Some people just seem to belong in their job. Rachel Ferrante is one of them.

Ferrante was hired as executive director of the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, or Maine MILL, in the fall of 2021 after working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for a decade.

The Met, as it is known, is among the most prestigious art museums in the world, with a vast collection that attracts some five million visitors every year.

While Ferrante grew up in New York City, she got her undergraduate degree from Bates College in Lewiston, which is also where she met her husband. “I fell in love with museums and art working for the Bates Museum,” she recalled.

After Bates, Ferrante worked at the Met and earned her master’s degree in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business at night. Her husband finished law school and got a job in Washington, D.C. She followed and took a job at Uber as the marketing director.

“You have to remember that at the moment I took that job at Uber, it was the coolest, hottest company to go work for,” Ferrante said. The ride at Uber was a blip for Ferrante, who soon moved back to New York and the Met.

“It was wildly interesting in that it really solidified and clarified for me that it’s really important that I work at a place where I believe in the mission,” Ferrante said when asked what it was like working for Uber. “People say it’s almost as helpful to know what you don’t want to do as (it is) what you do want to do. For me, Uber was clearly what I don’t want to do.”

Rachel Ferrante, executive director of Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, stands March 12 in the museum at 35 Canal St. in Lewiston. She said the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where she worked previously, was the best training ground in the world. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Maine left an indelible mark on Ferrante and her husband. “We both loved our time at Bates and we loved the emphasis on the outdoors and on nature and thought, if we weren’t going to live in Brooklyn, we would want to make our life in Maine,” she said.

COVID-19 was the catalyst. “We moved here with a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old,” Ferrante said. “We had no family and we had no friends.” In fact, in July 2021, she was still working remotely for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before long, Ferrante knew working remotely was not a forever solution, so she started looking for a job in Lewiston.

What was then Museum L-A hired Ferrante in September 2021. She was tasked with two key projects: rebranding the museum and completing the capital campaign to raise funds for its new permanent home.

“I had actually been the marketing manager at the Met when the Met underwent its rebranding,” Ferrante said. “I really knew what was involved … I was just really excited to sort of be able to take the lead on going through that whole process.”

Ups and downs

Every job has its ups and downs. For Ferrante, the best part of her job is the community. “It’s just an amazing community of people,” she said. “I’ve never experienced in my life people that genuinely care for one another and want to help and want to make this community better.”

On the flip side, there’s the not-so-fun things. “We’re a really small staff, so I wear a lot of hats and I like wearing a lot of hats. But you know, does anybody love doing the bookkeeping and payroll?” Ferrante asked. “Sometimes that also means, you know, cleaning the bathroom and sweeping the floors here. I do all those things too.”

Anything outdoors is a priority in Ferrante’s personal life and skiing has been at the top of the list this winter, especially for the 4-year-old.

An architectural rendering shows the the façade of the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor that is expected to open in 2026 in the old Camden Yarns Mill at 1 Beech St. in Lewiston. Submitted photo Submitted photo

Leaders are supposed to be visionaries and Ferrante has a very clear vision for the future of Maine MILL as it prepares to move into a new, permanent home next year at 1 Beech St.

“When we rebranded, we rewrote our mission and vision statement as part of that. And the vision was to be a cultural hub. It’s a bit of a big vision,” Ferrante said. “It is one I think is actually attainable… I think that this museum can be a cultural hub for this community.”

Rachel Ferrante, executive director of Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, stands in the museum March 12. She will oversee the transition from Maine MILL’s site at Bates Mill in Lewiston to a new, permanent home at the site of the former Camden Yarns Mill at 1 Beech St. along the Androscoggin River. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Mike Rancourt, chairman if the Maine MILL board of directors, offered his observations on Ferrante.

“My first encounter with Rachel, I think about six months into her role as the executive director of the museum, was her asking if I would be interested in participating in a presentation related to the U.S. Olympic shoe program,” he said. “She was truly energized by the idea of the shoes being made in our factory. So much so she asked for a tour to learn more about what we did. During the tour she was inquisitive and curious about the people and the work they were doing.  

“As I started to interact with her on a regular basis I began to appreciate her thoughtfulness and excitement of leading the museum. She has lots of ideas and works towards fulfilling them, bringing people along with her. I commend the board in hiring her since it’s exactly what Lewiston and the museum needed. I’m glad she’s part of the Maine MILL story as it unfolds.”

“Working” is a monthly feature highlighting an individual, group or business and focuses on what they do for their job. It’s a great way to recognize people for their work or an entire career. If you would like to nominate someone for recognition, send an email to cwheelock@sunjournal.com