FOUNDER, MAD54

Aida Valdez is the founder of MAD54, a community dedicated to promoting art collection and supporting emerging artists. Through MAD54, she offers education and resources for aspiring collectors to navigate the art world with confidence. In 2023, Valdez initiated a six-month residency program in Brooklyn, featuring four resident artists. Valdez’s curatorial projects include Pásele Pásele (2021), a pop-up exhibition showcasing 20 Mexican and Mexican-American artists, Jolie Laide (2023) at Harper’s Apartment in New York; and Land and At Sea (2024) at Mint Munich. She has also organized panels on art collecting at NeueHouse and Future Fairs, and led artist talks at Casa Pani in Mexico City. Currently, Valdez is co-curating an upcoming exhibition of Mexican artist Elina Chauvet, set for New York City in 2025. She holds a degree in Communication and Media from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a Master’s in Management from the Rotterdam School of Management.

SCHOLAR & CURATOR

Dr. Margarita Rosa (she/her) is a public scholar, curator, presenter and creative strategist specializing in Afro-Latinx, Latinx, and Black Atlantic history and contemporary art.Dr. Margarita Rosa was born in Tenares, Dominican Republic, in 1993. Raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Dr. Rosa received her Ph. D from Princeton University. From 2021-2023, Dr. Rosa was a Lecturer and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, where she taught courses on gender and rebellion in the Black Atlantic. Art criticism by Dr. Rosa has appeared in i-D Vice, Hyperallergic, The Brooklyn Rail, and Frieze, as well as several exhibition catalogues and book chapters. Dr. Rosa’s historical academic scholarship has been published in The Journal of African American History, Slavery & Abolition, The Black Scholar, and PhiloSOPHIA. Dr. Rosa has been featured or interviewed in Ebony, Hyperallergic, Teen Vogue, Pop Sugar, and Refinery 29.

ARTIST & ASSISTANT CURATOR, THE SHED

Dejá Belardo, (she, they) is a curator and painter based in New York City. They were born and raised in St.Croix, U.S Virgin Islands and studied Political Science and Writing at Loyola University New Orleans and currently completing a degree in Art History and Visual Culture at NYU. Their diverse cultural background influences their commitment to the social and cultural power of art. The duality of being an artist and an arts professional allows Belardo to have a dynamic knowledge of how to serve the best interests and growing needs of artists. Belardo's goal as a curator is to support boundary pushing artists as they establish themselves in the art historical canon, especially those who have been historically marginalized. Currently, Belardo holds the position of Assistant Curator, Visual Art and Civic Programs at The Shed, NYC. Their professional experience has included major arts institutions in New York City like the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Pace Gallery. Belardo recently completed the Museum Professionals Seminar with The Studio Museum in Harlem.