Working at MoMA: How Does a Museum’s Building Manager Do His Job?

Nelson Nieves has never been especially interested in art, yet he has one of the single most important jobs at New York’s MoMa. As the museum’s assistant director for building operations he oversees the huge team of workers who keep the building clean and running—everyone from the janitorial staff who scour the galleries and bathrooms to the engineers who manage the high-tech heating and cooling system. Nelson talks to Jordan about keeping workers on their toes, the comedy of trying to capture stray animals that fly into the building, and what happened the time a heart doctor had a heart attack in the middle of the building. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. This episode is brought to you by the following advertisers: Transferwise. Check them out today at Transferwise.com/WORKING. Citrix. Start working smarter today at citrix.com/slate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices