Brian Ferriso, the newly-named Eugene McDermott director of the Dallas Museum of Art
(Photo by Owen Carey)
From Staff Reports
The Dallas Museum of Art announced on Aug. 20 that Brian Ferriso has been appointed as the museum’s next Eugene McDermott director. Ferriso comes to the museum with nearly three decades of leadership experience in leading major capital projects and a deep commitment to community engagement and accessibility.
Ferriso will assume his new role at the DMA on Dec. 1 of this year, coming to Dallas from Portland where he served as director of the Portland Art Museum for almost 20 years. He is currently involved with that museum’s comprehensive campus transformation that will open this November.
“Brian Ferriso is a leader with a proven track record in realizing successful capital campaigns and sustainable organizational growth,” DMA’s Board President Gowri Natarajan Sharma said in a press release. “He has shaped an ambitious vision for the Portland Art Museum and developed programs that advance its cultural, civic and social role in the city and region.
“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,” Sharma added.
Sharon Young, the DMA’s board chair and co-chair of the executive search committee, said Ferriso “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.”
Young continued, “We are grateful to Interim Director Tamara Wootton Forsyth, as well as our board and leadership team, who have stewarded the museum with care in this interim period and have progressed plans for the building transformation project in preparation for a new leader to drive the work forward. I’d also like to thank the members of our search committee for their role in vetting a wide range of candidates that ultimately led us to Brian.”
Ferriso will be instrumental in leading the museum through its next phases of expansion and bringing the work on the DMA’s Edward Larrabee Barnes-designed building from concept to realization.
Ferriso received a B.A. in economics from Bowdoin College, an M.A. in arts administration from New York University, and an M.A. in art history from the University of Chicago. He is a trustee of the American Federation of Arts and chair of its exhibitions committee. He is also a member of American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and CEO, Chief Executives Organization. He has written for Curator: The Museum Journal and Museum magazine. He is also a practicing artist.
“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. “The museum is at an inflection point, with an impressive legacy behind it and a new future ahead, catalyzed by the current expansion project that will allow the DMA to establish greater connections with the community through its outstanding collections and programs.
“I feel lucky to join at such a transformative moment, and I am excited to work hand-in-hand with the museum’s dedicated staff and board as well as city leaders, stakeholders and the public to help shape the evolving vision for the DMA,” he added.
Since his appointment at PAM in 2006, Ferriso has more than doubled its curatorial staff; he’s increased the endowment by $40M, and eliminated $7M in unfunded debt. He led the fundraising of more than $140 million for the construction and endowment of the revitalized museum campus.
Ferriso has driven the diversification of PAM’s collection to incorporate more works by underrepresented artists, with emphasis on acquiring works by women, Native American and Black artists, as well as by other artists of color.
Notable exhibitions organized by PAM under Ferriso’s tenure include Black Artists of Oregon (2023); Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal… (2019); and The Enclave: Richard Mosse (2014).