Leslie Holt

Leslie Holt is a mixed media artist and educator with more than 20 years of experience teaching art at the college level and in community settings. Passionate about making the arts accessible to everyone, she has extensive experience working with students with mental health conditions and developmental disabilities. She also serves as co-director of Red Dirt Studio, a warehouse studio and business incubator for independent artists in Mount Rainier, Maryland.

Leslie holds a BFA in Painting from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Painting from Washington State University. While living in St. Louis, she supported adults with serious mental illness and single mothers attending community college, advocated for families navigating mental health challenges, and led an organization dedicated to expanding arts access for people with disabilities.

Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, Beautiful Distress House in Amsterdam, and galleries across the United States. She is represented by David Lusk Gallery in Memphis.

Leslie is also the creator of Neuro Blooms, a project that uses the beauty and power of art to deepen understanding of mental health conditions. Through partnerships with organizations and schools, the project has reached communities in Prince George’s County, Maryland, St. Louis, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.