The art of Rhea Leonard utilizes drawing, printmaking and sculpture to investigate the psychological aspects of black life while navigating the shifting levels of racism, anti-blackness and microaggressions of today’s society in relation to the black body. “By working with visual metaphors and heavy imagery to present various situations from a shifted perspective, I hope to start a conversation that bridges the gap of understanding,” she says. “By working with specific experiences encountered by myself and other black people, I can affirm thus validate our inner, personal realities in public to a wider audience who may not otherwise see it.” As such, Leonard has displayed her thought-provoking art throughout South Florida. As a 2018 recipient of the Betty Laird Perry Award, her work is part of The Betty Laird Perry Emerging Artist Collection at the Patricia & Philip Frost Art Museum. She is currently an artist at the Bakehouse Art Complex; CargoCollective.com/RLArt.
