As the Dallas Museum of Art prepares to embark on a massive fundraising effort for its planned expansion, the organization has tapped art world veteran Brian Ferriso as its next director.
Ferriso, 59, will succeed Agustín Arteaga, who stepped down in December after eight years at the helm. Ferriso’s first day will be Dec. 1.
Ferriso will come to Dallas from the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, where he serves as director and chief co-curator. In that capacity, he raised over $140 million for a campus renovation that will be unveiled to the public in November.
He will soon be tasked with steering the DMA through its own expansion, which could cost upward of $150 million.
“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 Wednesday news release that announced his appointment.
“I feel lucky to join at such a transformative moment and 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.”
The museum’s expansion will focus on integrating its downtown Arts District building with the surrounding area. The lead architects on the project’s design team, Spanish firm Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, were recently joined by Field Operations, the landscape architects behind New York City’s High Line.
Further details about the project’s design and fundraising goals will come early next year, Aschelle Morgan, a spokesperson for the museum, said in a Tuesday email. “For now, the board continues to explore meaningful philanthropic partnerships,” she also wrote.
Over his 19-year tenure as director of the Portland museum, Ferriso sought to diversify the institution’s collection, placing emphasis on acquisitions from artists of color. He also established an advisory committee and curator role for Native American art and expanded board representation to engage the Indigenous community.
Moreover, to increase accessibility to the museum, he created an endowment that supports free admission for children 17 and younger, school tours and families on select days.
“Brian quickly rose to the top of the pool of candidates as a leader who has the right mix of experience, energy and vision to serve as the next director,” the DMA’s board chair, Sharon Young, said in the Wednesday news release.
Ferriso is eager to foster connections between the DMA and the city. “It’s really about being meaningful and impactful to your community,” he said in a Tuesday phone call.
He will be inheriting a museum that has made strides on this front. In 2017, the DMA launched a bilingual initiative that presents exhibition materials in English and Spanish. To court visitors, the museum has also offered free admission to ticketed exhibitions on the first Sunday of the month as well as “Meet Me at the Museum” events that include brunch, jazz and late-night gallery access.
But the museum has also weathered recent turmoil. An intruder broke into the building in 2022 and damaged several artworks. In 2023, 20 employees were laid off and public hours were reduced, with the museum citing a decline in attendance.
When he arrives in Dallas, Ferriso plans to devote time to hear from the DMA’s staff and board as well as the local community, noting that will be “really important” to do “as the museum takes on the next exciting chapter.”
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