The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) has announced the upcoming departure of Hesse McGraw as Executive Director, and the appointment of Ryan N. Dennis and Melissa McDonnell Luján as Co-Directors.
Mr. McGraw joined CAMH in January 2020, months prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to seeing the organization through that difficult time, he also launched initiatives such as CAMHLAB, an artist-in-residence program for local artists, Rebirth in Action: Telling the Story of Freedom, a multiyear partnership with Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC), and the museum’s purchase of adjacent properties.
In a press release, Ruth Dreessen, CAMH Board Chair, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, said, “We would like to thank Hesse for his dynamic leadership, steering CAMH through the uncertainty of the pandemic, furthering the museum’s engagement with the community, and overseeing several landmark exhibitions, public programs, and partnerships.”
Mr. McGraw remarked, “The past five years leading Contemporary Arts Museum Houston have been a great honor, and I am immensely proud of CAMH’s innovative curatorial and education initiatives that have meaningfully expanded the Museum’s impacts beyond our walls. I am especially thrilled to know that under Ryan and Melissa’s visionary leadership, CAMH will continue to reach even greater heights.”
Ryan N. Dennis. Photo by Charles A. Smith.
In Spring 2023, Ms. Dennis was appointed Senior Curator and Director of Public Initiatives at CAMH. In her recent role at CAMH, Ms. Dennis, in collaboration with the museum’s Partnerships team, oversaw the collaboration with HFTC and co-curated Theaster Gates: The Gift and The Renege. She is also curating CAMH’s presentation of the traveling exhibition Tomashi Jackson: Across the Universe, which will debut in Houston in Spring 2025. From 2020 to 2023, she served as Chief Curator and Artistic Director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art.
Prior to joining CAMH, Ms. Dennis held positions at Project Row Houses and the Menil Collection in Houston, as well as the New Museum in New York. Currently, she is a board member at The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and is working on curatorial projects with The Black School, MASS MoCA, and the Mississippi Museum of Art. Ms. Dennis will serve as the first Black museum director of CAMH, an institution that was established 76 years ago.
Melissa McDonnell Luján. Photo by Fernanda Varela Rivera
In Fall 2023, Ms. Luján was appointed Deputy Director of CAMH. In this position, she has overseen big-picture planning related to facilities, exhibitions, finance, risk management, and resiliency initiatives. Previously, she served as Director of Project Development at the Menil, where she led capital projects and real estate development for the institution. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Director at Ballroom Marfa, where she oversaw operations related to visual arts, music, film, and educational programming. Currently, Ms. Luján serves on the board of Gulf Coast: Journal of Literature and Fine Arts at the University of Houston.
Regarding the appointment of Ms. Dennis and Ms. Luján, Ms. Dreessen remarked, “We are excited to bring Ryan and Melissa on as Co-Directors. As instrumental players in the region’s arts ecosystem, and existing members of the CAMH community, Ryan and Melissa are perfectly positioned to lead the Museum with curatorial acumen and pioneering programming, further advancing CAMH’s place at the forefront of contemporary art.”
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