Paul S. D’Ambrosio, the President & CEO of the Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm & Country Village is retiring after more than 40 years at the organization.
After receiving his MA in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, D’Ambrosio joined Fenimore in 1983 as a Folk Art Intern, becoming Assistant Curator the following year, Associate Curator in 1987, and Chief Curator in 1996.
He pursued a doctoral degree at Boston University, earning a Ph.D. in American and New England Studies in 2000. His dissertation formed the basis of the acclaimed exhibition and publication Ralph Fasanella’s America (2001), praised by The New York Times and later shown at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
He has curated exhibitions nationally and internationally and authored or edited numerous books and articles on American art, from Folk Art’s Many Faces (1987) to America’s Rome (2009) and most recently The Elegant Brush of Sturtevant J. Hamblin (2024).
D’Ambrosio also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Cooperstown Graduate Program from 1983 to 2021, teaching American art and American folk art for 38 years. He was named Vice President and Chief Curator in 2005 and became President & CEO in 2011.
During his tenure, he strengthened the museum’s position as a center for American art, expanded programming, and guided the institution through what an announcement called “key strategic transformations.”
These included the controversial dissolution of the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) in which he successfully petitioned the New York State Board of Regents to recharter NYSHA as the Fenimore Art Museum (2017).
Among his other notable accomplishments are:
Launched Fenimore Farm’s Glimmer Nights Holiday Light Show (2023)
Transformed the Research Library into a new Education of Regional History Center (2025)
Worked with the Eugene and Clare Thaw Charitable Trust on a $33.8 million acquisition initiative, culmination in Fenimore Art Museum’s American Masterworks Collection (2024)
Achieved re-accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums for both Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm (2024)
Led the rebranding of The Farmers’ Museum as Fenimore Farm & Country Village (2024)
Built the Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater on Otsego Lake and launched Fenimore Art Museum’s Performing Arts Program (2015)
He also organized significant exhibitions such as A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster, Jr.; Grandma Moses: Grandmother to the Nation; America’s Rome: Artists in the Eternal City, 1800–1900; Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed; and American Folk Art, Lovingly Collected at the Worcester Art Museum.
Replacement Named
D’Ambrosio’s replacement is expected to be Joshua Campbell Torrance, a mentee and former student who is currently serving as the Executive Director of The Florence Griswold Museum (Old Lyme, CT).
Torrance plans to join the Fenimore in January 2026 as Senior Vice Presiden and then work alongside the current administration until the official retirement of D’Ambrosio during the summer of 2026.
“This is a homecoming for me” Torrance said in an announcement. “I graduated from the Cooperstown Graduate Program and began my career under Dr. D’Ambrosio in 1998 as a Curatorial Assistant. Paul has been a mentor and friend to me throughout my career, and I am honored to have been selected as the new President & CEO. I look forward to working alongside him and ensuring a smooth transition for all the stakeholders. I look forward to building upon what he started.”
“Together, we’ve built exhibitions that tell America’s story, reimagined our historic spaces, and created programs that connect art, history, and community in meaningful ways,” D’Ambrosio wrote in announcing his retirement. “None of it would have been possible without the passion and support of our members, staff, and volunteers, people who care deeply about the Fenimore and what it represents.”
Read more about museums in New York State.
Photo provided.
Leave a Reply