A Minneapolis Artist You Need to Know: Leslie Barlow

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Leslie Barlow is a visual artist based in Minneapolis – her work is included in the permanent collections of Mia, Weisman Art Museum, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Vikings Fine Art Collection. She was recently awarded a 2025 McKnight Visual Art Fellowship. We talked to her about how Minneapolis has shaped her outlook as an artist, healing through art, collaborations covering so many topics and even a children’s book coming out on November 4!  

Leslie BarlowQ:  How do you feel that living and working in Minneapolis has shaped your art?

A:  Minneapolis is where I came into myself as an artist, and this place continues to shape my practice in deep and complicated ways. Growing up and building a creative practice here means my neighborhoods and communities have impacted a lot of the work I make, as well as the social structures and systemic advantages and disadvantages of this particular place.

Q:  Your work often explores race, family, and belonging - what experiences in your life most shaped these interests?

A:  I come from a mixed-race background and was raised in Minnesota, where I didn’t always see myself or my family reflected in the visual or written media I was consuming. Questions about identity, proximity, visibility, and belonging were part of my life long before they became part of my studio practice. Art gave me a language to explore the complexities of love, family, and racialization. Over time, I’ve developed a portraiture-based practice that is a vehicle for storytelling - centering questions around the “how” we are in relationship with one another. I’m drawn to stories that resist flattening and over-simplification, and want my work to hold space for the full spectrum of who we are.

Q:  Since graduating from MCAD in 2016, your art pops up everywhere - public murals, book art, museum permanent installations - and you are also a 2025 McKnight Visual Art Fellowship recipient. Congratulations! Please tell us how the last 9 years have felt to you, as an artist and an engaged community member.

A:  Thank you so much! It honestly doesn’t feel real sometimes, and I’m truly grateful that art is such a driving force in my life. My journey has been full, overwhelming at times, and deeply rewarding. When I graduated in 2016, I was just trying to find steady ground as an artist. I was often juggling multiple jobs and commissioned projects to cover my bills and expenses, while also working in the studio towards something that felt truer to me. I’ve worn many hats - painter, muralist, organizer, mentor, educator, illustrator - and each role has helped expand the way I think about art as a tool for connection, healing, and transformation. I’ve gotten to support, and lead, some pretty inspiring projects and thank God every day that this is how I get to spend my time.

Heavenly 2025 Oil fabric acrylic on canvas from the Us Becoming project

Sierra and her family, on the Mississippi shore, 2021, was featured in the solo exhibition Leslie Barlow: Within, Between, and Beyond at Mia.

Q:  What does healing through art look like to you, especially in community spaces?

A:  Healing, for me, is relational. In community spaces, healing through art often looks like co-creating something that reflects our shared humanity. It might be a mural painted together in a time of deep pain, or a gathering that honors stories often left to the margins. It might be simply being witnessed. The act of the mutual gaze can be powerful. I believe in art that helps us process, remember, and imagine other possibilities. Healing isn't a linear process, and I think art can be one part of a healing journey - perhaps a catalyst for conversations and connections that make healing possible.

Q:  Can you share more about your work with Public Functionary and how that intersects with your art practice?

A:  Public Functionary has been one of my most meaningful creative homes. It’s where I had my first solo exhibition in Minneapolis, it’s where I’ve made so many friends. In 2019, I launched PF Studios with Tricia and Mike, a subsidized studio program for emerging BIPOC artists - the first of its kind in Minnesota. It started with just nine artists and has grown to support over two dozen each year. This work is directly tied to my belief that artists need not just visibility, but access, resources, and community that understands and reflects them. As someone who didn't see a clear path forward in the arts in my youth, it means a lot to help build the kind of structures I once needed. My own studio practice is nourished by this work - it's reciprocal. Mentorship, collaboration, and collective care are at the core of both.

Q:  What are you currently working on or excited about?

A:  Right now, I’m working on a multi-year painting and research project called Us Becoming, which explores possibility through the masked form, speculative fiction, comic/pop culture, and performance. I’m also producing the second year of ConFluence with a kickass team of artists and nerds: a BIPOC-centered sci-fi, fantasy, arts, and fandom convention that celebrates all the ways our stories and creativity matters. Both of these projects are joyful and collaborative - they push me to grow and stretch beyond the studio in exciting ways. Also, I’m about to release my first illustrated children’s book! Written by Sun Yung Shin and Mélina Mangal, Revolutions are Made of Love comes out on November 4th, and I created over 20 hand-painted images for the book. 

Q:  What themes or questions are you eager to explore in the future, and how may we follow your news?

A:  Questions that are on my mind right now are: 

• How can speculative art forms create new possibilities for self-representation and expansive visions of belonging?
• What does radical joy look like as a visual, embodied, and communal practice?

I’m really excited about the work I’m getting into now and pretty much dream about it every night. I can’t wait to share it with the world. 

You can follow me on Instagram or visit my website to stay updated on exhibitions, projects, and events. If you’re curious about ConFluence, you can find us at www.confluencemn.com. The studio program at Public Functionary can be followed at www.publicfunctionary.org.