Leslie D. Boyd

Leslie Boyd (she/her/hers or they/them/theirs) is an artist, educator, and activist, born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She studied Metalsmithing + Jewelry at Pratt Institute (BFA) and the Rhode Island School of Design (MFA), and has exhibited throughout the US and in venues abroad such as the super+Centercourt Gallery in Munich, Germany and at Object Rotterdam in Holland. Leslie lives in Denver, CO where they are an Assistant Professor of Art at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

In 2018 Leslie established the database Making Progress: Resources for Social Justice in Craft to assist craft students and educators in reflecting on how their research and practice can be inclusive and represent a more diverse range of voices and work.

Leslie is also a founding member of the JV Collective, a national group of jewelry artists based in South Philadelphia.

Leslie’s work explores contemporary American politics and culture with the creation of jewelry and installation. She is particularly interested in jewelry’s ability to initiate and highlight conversations about equity, value, gender, and body politics. Carved stone, acrylic, latex, mirrors, fabric and metal are employed alongside humor and appropriation to capture snapshots of our cultural engagement through the mining of memes, tweets, news posts, and the broader polarized culture from which they come.