Director and CEO Update

Dear members, guests, and friends,

I hope you and your family are healthy, happy, and well as we approach the holiday season.

GRAM's Board of Trustees wanted you to be among the first to know that Dana Friis-Hansen, Director and CEO, has announced he’ll be stepping away from his leadership position at the beginning of 2023, returning to his personal passion for independent curating, writing, and research. He will be departing his current role on January 1, 2023, but plans to remain closely connected to GRAM and the community. The Board of Trustees will immediately begin plans for a national search to find Dana’s successor.

Dana has led the Grand Rapids Art Museum through an important and rewarding decade of growth and change, and we remain immensely grateful for his many years of leadership. His passion for community collaboration, steady financial stewardship, and investment in learning and creativity programs has enabled us to build on the many successes of the Museum and has set the stage for a bright and exciting future at GRAM.

Dana took the helm of the Museum during a pivotal time in its over 100-year history, just three years after the opening of its new building at 101 Monroe Center. Among the many achievements during his tenure, GRAM presented a series of successful exhibitions, forged new collaborative partnerships in the community, strengthened the permanent collection through new acquisitions, and increased participation and engagement in tours and workshops with local school districts.

“It has been my honor to serve our incredible community and call Grand Rapids ‘home’ over the past decade. It has been a privilege to work with a talented and creative staff, a knowledgeable and committed board of trustees, and a base of generous and kindhearted donors, members and volunteers, all of whom made our accomplishments at GRAM possible. I’m confident to be leaving the Museum in good hands and poised for a successful future.” — Dana Friis-Hansen

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Dana’s decade of service and stewardship at the tenth annual Live Artfully event honoring Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach on September 9, 2022.

Thank you for your support of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. As Dana said, individuals like you help make all of our accomplishments at the Museum possible.

I hope to see you at GRAM during the holiday season!

Warm wishes,

Erin Gravelyn
President, GRAM Board of Trustees