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Age: 56
Occupation: Portland Art Museum director and chief curator
Why He Matters: If the Portland Art Museum is the biggest ship in the sea that is the city’s visual arts community, Ferriso is its captain—as firm and dependable as the no-nonsense rectangular glasses that adorn his face.
Leading the museum since 2006, Ferriso managed the dual challenge of raising bucks and the profile and quality of an institution that had its rear end walloped during the pandemic. He eliminated debt and grew PAM’s endowment by 50%—to $68 million—while stretching to diversify the museum’s exhibitions (current showcases include Dakota Modern, a tribute to the late Oscar Howe, who was one of the nation’s foremost Native American artists).
Sixteen years in, already a long tenure for a museum that suffered a lot of messy turnover a few decades ago, Ferriso says he envisions another decade as director, tackling the massive campus update that is the Rothko Pavilion. This glass entryway project would connect PAM’s two buildings and crystallize its vision as a 21st century art museum.
Biggest Influence: “It comes down to my family: parents, brothers, wife, kids. They’re the ones who’ve shaped me, encouraged me, pushed, prodded, pulled. Always on my mind. That’s not really a great answer because it’s better if I say Abraham Lincoln or something.”
Greatest Personal Achievement: Doubling the number of curators to nine, with four positions now endowed.
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: “Lucky Lab, the brewpub in Northwest. The Super Dog is one of the best IPAs.”
Best Quote About Him: “He’s a most thoughtful person and understands well the balance of what it takes to bring people in the door and reasonably fund turning the lights on.” —Alix Meier Goodman, chair of PAM’s board of trustees