The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), which is in the early phases of an ambitious campus transformation, has picked Brian Ferriso—who will inaugurate a renovation of the Portland Art Museum (PAM) in Oregon this autumn—to be its next director. Ferriso will have less than two weeks between the 20 November inauguration of the $111m expansion of the PAM, where he has been the director since 2006, and his first day on the job in Dallas on 1 December.
Gowri Natarajan Sharma, the president of the DMA’s board of trustees, described Ferriso as “a leader with a proven track record in realising successful capital campaigns and sustainable organisational growth. He has shaped an ambitious vision for the Portland Art Museum and developed programmes that advance its cultural, civic and social role in the city and region.” She added: “With this powerful combination of skills and expertise, we are confident that Brian is the right director to shepherd the DMA into its next era as a thriving institution with a growing collection that is more inclusive, more accessible and more reflective of the community we serve.”
During his nearly two decades at the helm of the PAM, Ferriso increased the museum’s endowment by $40m, more than doubled the curatorial staff and eliminated $7m in unfunded debt. During that time, the museum achieved international prominence as a co-presenting institution of Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibition in the US Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Ferriso also led a fundraising campaign that has brought in more than $140m for the construction of the museum’s expansion and for its endowment. The expansion, designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects of Portland and Vinci Hamp Architects of Chicago, will connect the museum’s two existing buildings and result in 95,000 sq. ft of new or renovated public and exhibition spaces.
In his new role in Texas, Ferriso will lead the DMA through a $150m revamp of its campus. Two years ago, the museum selected the Madrid- and Berlin-based firm Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos to lead that project, which is now entering its schematic design phase. (Shortly after picking the firm for its expansion, the museum laid off 8% of its staff and cut back its opening hours.)
Aerial view rendering of the Dallas Museum of Art renovation and expansion
© Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
This is the first significant renovation of the DMA’s Edward Larrabee Barnes-designed building since it was inaugurated in 1984. The project will include the creation of a new contemporary art gallery, restoring some of the symmetry of Barnes’s original design, the addition of transparent and translucent glazing in places to create a greater sense of openness, new visitor amenities as well as improved back-of-house features like a new covered loading dock and revamped office space and conservation facilities.
“I’ve long believed that museums can play a vital role within the civic and social fabric of a community, and as the city’s museum, the Dallas Museum of Art is the perfect place for me to carry on this work,” Ferriso said in a statement. “The museum is at an inflection point, with an impressive legacy behind it and a new future ahead, catalysed by the current expansion project that will allow the DMA to establish greater connections with the community through its outstanding collections and programmes.”
Before taking the helm in Portland, Ferriso was the director of the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for four years. He will succeed Agustín Arteaga, who served as the DMA’s director for nine years before leaving last spring to take up the role of director and chief executive at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.