Ima Hogg’s historic former home and gardens at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is photographed in Houston, Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The guest book entry in the dining room of Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is photographed in Houston on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The guest book entry in the dining room of Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is photographed in Houston on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The George Washington exhibition is displayed inside Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens in Houston on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The George Washington exhibition is displayed inside Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens in Houston on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The George Washington exhibition is displayed inside Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens in Houston on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Daniel Ackermann has a surprising vision for the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. One might even describe his aspirations as contemporary or modern. They’re definitely more accessible and welcoming from a public-facing perspective.
As the new director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s house museum for American arts, Ackermann’s view of the John Staub-designed former home of philanthropist and collector Ima Hogg is akin to how she, too, may have seen it.
“I think it’s important that the house itself is always dynamic,” he says. “It was not a static collection or installation.”
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Since his appointment in 2024, Ackermann has leaned into the idea of establishing a “connection of place” to the house museum. He doesn’t want any programming or curation that would make sense just anywhere; moving forward, the goal is site-specific.
For example, Hogg was reportedly a Beatles fan. So, when Bayou Bend began partnering with Preservation Houston to host outdoor film screenings, “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964) was at the top of the watch list.
And because Hogg spent nine years as a music instructor, Ackermann prioritized a Kinder HSPVA Jazz Band concert at Bayou Bend.
“That was really well attended last fall,” Ackermann shares. “(Ima) was a concert pianist and a teacher, so the connection to (Houston Independent School District) is there.”
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Daniel Ackermann, director of Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, is photographed at Bayou Bend in Houston, Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Big picture, outdoor events make good use of Bayou Bend’s 14 acres of organically maintained gardens and woodlands in the heart of River Oaks.
During Ackermann’s tenure, he hopes more Houston residents and visitors alike will take full advantage of the grounds, including the eight formal Beaux-Arts-style gardens. To make the green spaces feel more approachable, Ackermann objected to the existing “no food or drinks allowed” rule and ultimately decided it was time to change it.
“People need to spend more time outside in gardens, appreciating nature. If carrying a latte helps them do that, so be it. We are happy for people to come out and bring snacks,” he says with a hint of pride. “We believe deeply in the value of hospitality. If a baguette and some cheese sitting on the lawn on a beautiful day is it, having a few extra trash cans around won’t hurt. It’s improved our interactions with visitors as well.”
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Bayou Bend was shaped around Southern heritage and sensibilities. Ackermann was, too.
A Louisiana native, he previously spent 16 years at the Old Salem Museums & Gardens and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, before joining MFAH’s staff in 2024.
In 2006, Ackermann held the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Internship in American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s also where he first met his now-boss, MFAH Director Gary Tinterow.
“It was basically a one-year, curatorial boot camp,” Ackermann recalls. “When I was considering this job, I called one of my mentors from that time and asked, ‘Do I want to work for Gary Tinterow?’ Funnily enough, she replied, ‘I want to work for Gary Tinterow.’”
Ackermann compares his new post to an encyclopedic experience.
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To demonstrate the depth of materials and artifacts at Bayou Bend’s disposal, the team recently made a significant change to the home’s dining room configuration.
The dining room of Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is photographed in Houston, Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
“I challenged our curatorial staff to use that space to tell a story of her living in that house with her brother, Mike, and Will, who were all in their 40s,” Ackermann explains. “This was not a traditional family home. In the end, they only lived there as a family for two years.”
Breakfast was the first meal the siblings shared together in the dining room, according to records. A friend joined them, and the event was documented in a guest book on display — humorously, as the sole entry.
Bayou Bend Collection Manager Remi Dyll researched what a typical Houston breakfast for the Hoggs’ socioeconomic bracket might have looked like in the late 1920s. The scene depicted today includes an assortment of eggs, sausage, grapefruit, coffee and tea.
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“It was an election day, so there’s a lot of really interesting context,” Ackermann says.
Across the central hallway, another election-day display holds court in the Pine Room, which has been temporarily refocused on George Washington.
Bayou Bend Curator Bradley Brooks has exhibited a copy of the one known political speech that Hogg delivered in her life, warning against then-incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s campaign for a third term.
A transcription of an Ima Hogg radio speech is displayed as part of the George Washington exhibition inside Ima Hogg’s former home at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens in Houston, Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
“She specifically evokes the spirit of (George) Washington,” Ackermann notes. “It begins, ‘My fellow democrats,’ and continues to confirm that two terms is enough for anybody. That was very revolutionary to Houston in the 1940s.”
Politics aside, Ackermann hopes that visitors will walk away with a newfound appreciation for antiques. Grandmillennial aesthetics revived the vintage decor trend. The trick, Ackermann says, is to mix and layer older pieces with new and unexpected items, too.
“One of our jobs is to make people not afraid of these precious things,” he adds. “As a decorative arts museum, I want people to come in, be inspired and become a collector. It’s very easy to collect. People should live with antiques. They should live with cool stuff. It’s out there, and it’s accessible, and you don’t need to be afraid of it. The best way to do that is to see spaces that feel comfortable, and get familiar.”