2024 Curatorial Research Fellow: Dean Daderko

Apr 18, 2024

Through deep engagement with the Mississippi River, Dean Daderko seeks to draw literal and metaphoric connections by exploring the cultural and ecological interconnectedness of sites and beings linked by the River and its tributaries. Following their recent arrival in St. Louis, and in a leadership role at a regional institution, Dean will follow the River as a method of research, connecting with cultural producers in places like Des Moines, Memphis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and beyond, establishing collaborations and building an ecologically-minded relationship among creatives. Their research will inform an upcoming exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

Dean Daderko (they/them) is the Ferring Foundation Chief Curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. As Curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston from 2010-2020, they presented exhibitions with LaToya Ruby Frazier, Joan Jonas and Gina Pane, Paul Ramírez Jonas, Nicolas Moufarrege, Wu Tsang and Fred Moten, Haegue Yang and others, often accompanied by new commissions. In 2008 and 2020, Daderko received Curatorial Research Fellowships from Étant Donnés Contemporary Art. Their practice is guided by their queer and feminist ethics.