Foret tapped to preserve T’bonne plantation’s history

As chief executive officer of the South Louisiana Center for the Arts, Jonathan Foret relished the opportunity to teach the region’s Cajun and Creole heritage to others.

Now, the Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society’s board has chosen Foret to be the new face of Southdown Plantation House and the Terrebonne Museum, replacing former museum director Karen Hart.

Foret’s first official day on the job was June 16.

“I look forward to serving the community in my new role as museum director for the Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society,” he said. “I’m also very pleased to be investing in an organization that provides such a high return to the community.”

The historical society is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting history, culture and the arts in Terrebonne Parish. It was established in 1972.

After Hart’s departure – she returned to her native Virginia – the historical society’s 21-member board began the search for a creative, innovative thinker who could attract visitors to Southdown Plantation and increase volunteerism. Foret was a natural fit.

“The board of directors is very excited to have Jonathan as an integral part of Southdown Plantation,” said Tim Pregeant, museum caretaker and board member. “Jonathan will bring a great deal of experience, a wonderful background in the arts, as well as skills in non-profit management.”

Board president Lynn Cinnater agreed that Foret brings a blend of innovative creativity to the job. “There were many well-qualified applicants who applied for the museum director position. However, Jonathan exceeded our greatest expectation and we are looking forward to him implementing his many innovative ideas,” she said.

At SoLa, Foret cut his teeth on delivering arts education to the region’s diverse population.

“SoLa was a great learning experience for me, and it helped me develop the leadership and creative skills I will need to run the plantation house and museum,” he said. “The historical society was looking for someone to come to the people with some very creative ways of solving the problem of leisure activities locally and I thrive in that kind of atmosphere.”

Foret’s goal is to increase volunteerism in the Tri-parishes to ensure the continued longevity of the plantation.

“It takes so many volunteers to keep Southdown operating on a daily basis. Without them we would not be open half the time,” he said. “The gift shop is completely run by volunteers and many give tours of the grounds. Not to mention the biggest event we have is the marketplace that is run by an abundance of volunteers.”

“There are enough volunteers now, but there is a steady decline. I am going to try to jump in there and tackle that problem to see if we can get our volunteer base a little bit bigger so that we can continue to have successful events like the marketplace,” he added.

Foret said he also wants to incorporate more educational programs into the museum’s activity schedule, pending approval from the board of directors.

“I am just brainstorming right now, but my time at SoLa has taught me that preserving our history is important,” he said. “We have to know where we came from, and the museum is the perfect place to educate the public on their culture.”

The museum director said the public should not be surprised if SoLa and Southdown collaborate on a few projects in the near future.

“SoLa is an arts education organization and the museum is a cultural arts organization. In some ways they go hand-in-hand. With my intimate knowledge of SoLa’s programs, hopefully we can work together on some community events,” he said.

Cooperative partnerships are essential, Foret said, because of the increased competitiveness for finances. “Being able to share resources and collaborate on projects will help everyone have hassle-free organizations,” he said.

The jury is still out on who will be Foret’s replacement as SoLa’s CEO. The board of directors said it is actively searching for a new executive director. Interviews are being conducted.