Brian Ferriso has led the Portland Art Museum since 2006, but after the unveiling of the museum’s major renovations, scheduled to wrap up Nov. 20, he is moving on.
Brian Ferriso has led the Portland Art Museum since 2006. Ferriso is pictured in an undated provided image.
Courtesy of Portland Art Museum
According to a press release from the Dallas Museum of Art, Ferriso will become the organization’s Eugene McDermott Director on Dec. 1. The release lauds Ferriso’s three decades leading arts organizations, including 19 years at PAM, where he “demonstrated success leading major capital projects, and a deep commitment to community engagement and accessibility.”
As PAM’s leader, Ferriso managed to eliminate $7 million in debt and increased the museum’s endowment by $40 million. He also launched the major transformation of the museum, set to open to the public this fall. The project connects the museum’s main buildings and adds close to 100,000 square feet of space to the museum.
Related: Portland Art Museum begins major renovation
In a 2023 interview with OPB’s Think Out Loud, Ferriso anticipated the museum overhaul having a transformational effect on a struggling downtown.
“I think it’s an educational, cultural community anchor; it’s sort of a community gathering place,” Ferriso said. “And I think by doing this investment, investing in that community space which I believe so strongly in, we are going to, I would even say, rescue the city … It’s about inspiration. It’s about a place to gather, to critically think, to see the world.”
Ferriso described a space created using principles of “universal design” meant to foster enjoyment of art for people regardless of age or disability. Separate from the capital project, Ferriso prioritized opening the museum to young people by making admission free for youth and children under 17.
Related: Portland Art Museum begins painstaking Claude Monet restoration
In its announcement of Ferriso’s hire, the Dallas Museum of Art anticipated their next leader bringing to Texas the attributes that helped the Portland museum.
“He comes fully equipped with learnings and know-how from the capital project he led in Portland, which will be a tremendous asset as he advances the DMA’s own transformation,” Sharon Young, the Dallas museum’s board chair and co-chair of the executive search committee, said in the release.