Intrepid Designer
(Photo: Karsten Moran)
Janae Seldura, BA’23, MA’24 (Flor)
By Kenna Caprio
Janae Seldura, BA’23, MA’24 (Flor), loves a museum. “My parents took me to the Museum of National History, the Smithsonian museums and the Liberty Science Center. They taught me the value of seeing artifacts, animals and even warplanes in person.”
Now, as a graphic designer for the Intrepid Museum in New York City, Seldura works behind the scenes to inspire curiosity and spark conversation among a new generation of museum visitors.
“I’m involved in the museum’s design rebrand. We’re switching out old signs for new ones that have a more vibrant color scheme and updated information,” says Seldura. “I’m reviewing scripts written by curators, making design templates and vectors using the Adobe Suite and printing labels in our fabrication shop.”
Visitors can see the World War II-era aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11), a Cold War-era submarine, the space shuttle orbiter Enterprise, and a Concorde (G-BOAD) airplane, amongst other exhibits. “We have 28 historic aircraft in the museum, two propellers on display, a collection of war medals and much more.”
The ship itself might appear imposing, but the museum is family-oriented and community-focused. “It’s a popular site for tourists and New York City residents alike,” says Seldura.
Recently, Seldura contributed to two exhibitions: Space Shuttle Pavilion 2026 and Hangar 1 2025.
For the Space Shuttle Pavilion 2026, Seldura printed posters and artifact signs highlighting the history of the shuttle Enterprise. Fun fact: the Enterprise was built in the late 1970s, but not for spaceflight. Rather, the shuttle would be used as a prototype for testing, ultimately preparing other spacecraft for flight. “The exhibition also tells visitors about the unexpected scientific discoveries engineers made while building Enterprise. They found better ways to make glasses, stronger formulas for cleaning products and safer ways to make respirators for hospitals.”
In the Hangar 1 2025 exhibition, visitors can see a vintage airplane on loan from the Navy, a Corsair, the very model that Intrepid transported during World War II. “The Corsair means a lot to us at Intrepid because we are still in contact with the families of some of the pilots who flew these aircraft right off the ship.”
Attention to detail is a must for graphic designers. “It’s more than just checking the art to make sure it looks good. It’s about providing good customer service and total accuracy,” she says. Her role at the Intrepid Museum has also emphasized to her the importance of teamwork. “An exhibition team of a dozen people can be a powerhouse. There’s just this exchange of skills that happens and everyone gets a chance to learn something new.”
Together, she says, “We keep history alive.”
OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST
“I like to do rugged, outdoorsy things. Fishing, scuba diving, mud runs, sand buggy racing, hiking … I’ve done it all!”
INSPIRED VIEWS
European religious and historical artwork and architecture inspire Seldura. “The stained glass in the Sainte-Chapelle chapel in Paris, the paintings in the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, the Gothic cathedral in Ypres in Belgium, drip with detail.”
LASTING SUCCESS
“Success is how far you’ve come. Do your paintings look better now than they did last year? Success. Have you hit a personal fitness goal? Success. Trained a pet? Success. We live in a world that values monetary greed, instant gratification and outward beauty, but that’s all vanity in the end. It’s about time, practice and reflection.”