Cleveland, Ohio—(July 9, 2024) The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) is excited to announce the appointment of DJ Hellerman as its new Deputy Director & Senior Curator. Hellerman most recently served as Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) in Philadelphia, PA. In the spirit of moCa Cleveland’s newly clarified mission, Art Now, in progress, Hellerman will guide the museum’s curatorial vision and work collaboratively with staff and board leadership to support moCa’s outreach, engagement, and sustainability goals. 

In announcing the appointment, moCa’s Kohl Executive Director Megan Lykins Reich notes, “Across all of his positions, DJ has honed a responsive curatorial practice that is inclusive, flexible, and creative, one that aligns strongly with moCa’s new mission. He balances a passion for artists with a commitment to audiences that will further moCa’s vision to open and connect people through contemporary art.”  

“This is an exciting moment of growth and evolution for me and moCa. I’m honored to be joining such a dedicated team actively creating the foundation for moCa’s future,” Hellerman said.

Curatorial collaboration is a key driver of moCa’s current and future work. Hellerman will organize exhibitions and also nurture relationships with curators in Cleveland and elsewhere to develop new projects, beginning as early as Winter/Spring 2025. He joins a newly restructured senior leadership team at moCa including Reich, Senior Operations Officer Tom Poole, Senior Engagement Officer Joshua Hill, Senior Advancement Officer Zakia Frontz, and Senior Finance Officer Susan Chiancone. 

Speaking on behalf of moCa’s Board of Directors, many of whom participated in the recruitment process alongside moCa staff, Board President Stephen G. Sokany reflects, “DJ understands that curatorial leadership balances confidence with humility. We are excited for how he will help drive artistic innovation at moCa and across our field.”

Hellerman has been involved with numerous noted exhibitions and artist projects, including Yoko Ono: Remembering The Future at Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; ProcessLAB: Paper Buck, Michelle Lopez, Sa’dia Rehman; and Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself at The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Barthélémy Togu: Urban Requiem; Ira Lombardia: Void; and Doreen Garner: Pale In Comparison at SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA; Seat’s Taken at Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT; and has collaborated closely with artists like Henry Taylor, Rose Simpson, and Jessica Campbell.

A Northeast Ohio native, Hellerman holds an M.A. in Art History from Case Western Reserve University and began his career at the Progressive Art Collection. Prior to his work at FWM, he held the position of Curator at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, Curator of Arts & Programs at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York, and Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Burlington City Arts in Burlington, Vermont. 

About moCa Cleveland

For more than 50 years, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) has played a vital role in the city’s cultural landscape. moCa is a conduit and catalyst for creativity and inspiration, offering exhibitions and programs that provide public value and make meaning of the art and ideas of our time.

Since its founding in 1968, moCa has presented the works of more than three thousand artists, often through artists’ first solo shows. Soon after its founding, moCa was the first in the region to exhibit the works of many vanguard artists such as Laurie Anderson, Christo, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Adrian Piper, and Andy Warhol. Recent artist commissions and solo exhibitions include work by Tauba Auerbach, Simon Denny, Aleksandra Domanović, Michelle Grabner, Byron Kim, Ragnar Kjartansson, Tony Lewis, Kirk Mangus, Catherine Opie, Adam Pendleton, Sondra Perry, Joyce J. Scott, Do Ho Suh, Liu Wei, Renée Green, and Nina Chanel Abney, among many others.

Museum Hours

Thursdays-Sundays, 11AM-5PM

Holiday hours available at mocacleveland.org

2024 Institutional Sponsors

All current moCa Cleveland exhibitions are funded by leadership gifts from Doreen & Dick Cahoon, Joanne Cohen & Morris Wheeler, Margaret Cohen & Kevin Rahilly, Grosvie & Charlie Cooley, Becky Dunn, Harriet Goldberg, Agnes Gund, and Jan Lewis.

moCa Cleveland receives lead institutional support in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the Callahan Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, the Nord Family Foundation, the Leonard Krieger Fund of the Cleveland Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, PNC, and the continuing support of the museum’s Board of Directors, patrons, and members.

###