COURTNEY M. LEONARD (b. 1980) is a multimedia artist and filmmaker from the Shinnecock Nation in Long Island, New York. As a contributor to the Offshore Art Movement, Leonard’s practice investigates narratives of cultural viability as a reflection of environmental record. Her work is guided and embodies multiple definitions of “breach,” leading to exploration and documentation of historical ties to water, whale, and material sustainability. Leonard earned her BFA in Ceramics from Alfred University in 2002 and her MFA in Ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.
Recent solo exhibitions include her mid-career survey COURTNEY M. LEONARD: Logbook 2004–2023 at The Heckscher Museum, Huntington, (NY); a site responsive installation BREACH: Logbook 24 | SCRIMSHAW at New Bedford Whaling Museum, (MA); and BREACH: Logbook 24 | STACCATO, based on a collaborative multi-year scientific study of the life and remains of Staccato, a deceased female Right whale, at UMCA, Amherst, MA. Selected group exhibitions included RIVERS FLOW / ARTISTS CONNECT at the Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY, the Metropolitan Museum, NYC, New York Historical, New York, NY and American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA. A site specific public art commission Catalyst 2023: Courtney M. Leonard is on view at Planting Fields, Oyster Bay, NY and long term architectural installations are on view at the Weisman Museum, Minneapolis, MN and the John W. Bardo Fine Arts Center at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC. The artist’s work is in numerous permanent collections including Brooklyn Museum, (NY); Mead Art Museum, Amherst, (MA) Hood Museum, Hanover (NH), Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, (CA), Heard Museum, Phoenix, (AZ), Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, (MA). Artist residencies include the Andy Warhol Preserve, Montauk (NY), the Santa Fe Art Institute Water Rights Art Residency, among many others. The artist is represented by Ferrin Contemporary in Cummington, MA.
Courtney M. Leonard – Robert Rauschenberg Residency #39, Captiva Island, Florida | July 2019
Photo Credit: Mark Poucher
