Leah Weinstein is a mother, artist and educator. She grew up on Vancouver Island in unceded K’ómoks territory with homesteading, settler parents where she spent considerable time in the forest, investigating the living forms of the coastal terrain. Later, as a tree planter, she worked in industrially logged landscapes, witnessing the devastating aftermath of logging while simultaneously connecting to an itinerant community of seasonal workers. Her artistic practice is rooted in her experiences of creating temporary structures and makeshift communities in diverse, fragile and changing environments. Through this work she investigates connections between material culture and the social ideals of a larger collective. Using everyday objects and readymade materials to create sculpture, drawings, textiles and performance, she examines relationships between individuals and collectives, action and display.

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Leah has taught and mentored students at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Simon Fraser University, LaSalle College Vancouver, Visual College of Art + Design Vancouver and Kootenay School of the Arts, Selkirk College. Her work has been supported by Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, Banff Centre, Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History, and City of Richmond Public Art Commissions. Her professional experience includes designing costumes for contemporary theatre and dance companies, and she completed a Master of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

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