Finnegan Dean (b. 2004, currently based in Valdez, AK) is a transdisciplinary artist who uses performance, dance, video, and sculpture to create work that relates to queer and environmental activism. 

His practice focuses on the application of two main visual languages: found pillaged modern day materials, and site specific natural ephemera. Materiality strengthens and builds the muscles for his concepts. He utilizes historically and ecologically charged materials, such as railroad spikes from the 1860s and deer vertebrae from roadkill, to create liminal spaces that viewers can explore and reflect on. Some recent media he's been working with are animal bones coated in gold glitter, in juxtaposition with scrap plywood, rusty gold-rush era nails, and bullet casings. He explores themes of ancestry, self portraiture, queer identity, political criticism, Americana, humor, and material honesty. His work is largely influenced by the deep rooted history in small towns across America, and the wild life of Alaska, the last frontier.

Finnegan Dean earned his BFA from Alfred University in 2026. At Alfred, he contributed to various group shows, including the Queer Arts Collective show in 2024, "NeoNoveau" and "Fiber" in 2025, and in 2026 he concluded his studies with his senior thesis solo show, "Something Queer." 

He is currently based in Valdez, Alaska, where he is working on multiple collections focused on the merging of found material; driftwood, glacial silt, fishing lures, and bones, with the manmade; glitter, rhinestones, and sparkles. He uses these collections to talk about the delicate ecosystem and environment in Alaska as well as the complicated nature of humankind.