The Portland Art Museum has its first permanent director in nearly two decades.
Michael Anderson, 47, will start as the museum's top leader on Monday, Oct. 12, bringing a background in film scholarship, educational access and tribal nation partnerships to a museum that has drawn 35% more visitors since its $116 million expansion last year.
Anderson, currently president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, will carry the title Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Director of the Portland Art Museum.
He replaces Brian Ferriso, who led the institution for nearly 20 years before leaving in August 2025 to head the Dallas Museum of Art.
The museum has operated under three co-interim directors since Ferriso's departure: chief development officer Karie Burch, director of collections and curatorial affairs Don Urquhart and chief financial officer Gareth Nevitt.
Board of trustees chair Cyndy Maletis said in the museum's announcement that Anderson's belief "that great art museums should be welcoming, inspiring places for everyone" set him apart in the search.
Anderson holds a doctorate in art history and film studies from Yale University and a master's in cinema studies from New York University. He spent 12 years at the Oklahoma City museum, becoming president and CEO in 2019 after serving as director of curatorial affairs and film curator. He is originally from Minnesota.
"We've worked with the tribal nations here in Oklahoma … which I think is another thing that I'll bring to my time in Portland," Anderson told The Oregonian.
That experience could dovetail with work already underway at PAM. The museum's Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art holds more than 3,500 works from at least 200 tribal communities.
In March, PAM launched MORE COLORS THAN THE EYE CAN SEE, a free Indigenous education initiative developed with the Smithsonian that includes 14 cross-disciplinary K-12 lessons.
Anderson inherits a museum in growth mode. Since the $116 million Mark Rothko Pavilion opened in November 2025, attendance has jumped 35% year-over-year, with the museum on track to welcome nearly 300,000 visitors for the fiscal year ending June 30. The museum logged 70,000 free visits in that span, membership climbed back above 20,000 households and demand for K-12 school tours rose 50%, according to a PAM community update.
The Whitsell Auditorium reopened Jan. 10 as part of the campus transformation, and the Tomorrow Theater satellite cinema at 3530 SE Division St. continues to expand programming. Anderson's film background positions him to shape both venues.
His first visit to Portland was his job interview. He and his wife plan to rent at first while exploring the city's quadrants before settling in.
What's next at the Portland Art Museum
- Sept. 3 — Free First Thursday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. (free admission for all, supported by Art Bridges Foundation's Access for All program)
- Sept. 5 — "The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art" opens, featuring over 200 works by more than 130 artists representing more than 250 distinct Indigenous Australian nations, coordinated by curator of Native American art Kathleen Ash-Milby. On view through Jan. 3, 2027.
- Oct. 12 — Anderson's first day as director
- Nov. 5 — First Free First Thursday under Anderson's leadership
Residents with an Oregon Trail (SNAP) card can access $5 tickets to PAM and the Tomorrow Theater year-round through the Regional Arts and Culture Council's Arts for All program.
