Professional Collaborations
“Out of Time: Imagining the Future of America”
Art Exhibition featuring LEANA
Showcasing at Union Hall Denver in Denver Colorado March 27, 2025 through end of April 2025
Time, as we know it, is an imposed structure—measured, quantified, and weaponized. Yet, for those whose histories have been fragmented, erased, or rewritten, time is something to be reclaimed, stretched and reconfigured -Zoid Art Haus.
LEANA was handpicked for the art exhibition Out of Time: Imagining the Future of America, curated by creative technologist, photographer, and founder of Zoid Art Haus, J Benjamin Burney. She showcased two large works of art that express the fulfilling, reclamation power in soul transitions - an inevitable and universal experience through different timelines and periods.
LEANA was inspired by the question: Is faith a choice or a decision for Black Americans and the African Diaspora? A choice is selecting from existing options (e's.g., what to wear), often quick and personal, driven by preference; a decision is a conclusion or resolution after deeper consideration, linking to actions, consequences, and life direction
Building the country of America through powerful and painful avenues - voluntarily or involuntarily - Black American lineages have continued to have lasting, compounding affect on the past and future culture of the world. The art pieces for this exhibition embody the spirituality behind the faithful, resilient, rigorous endurance of African and Black American slaves and their deep connection to African Spirituality, Christianity, and Elemental Magic.
“In Between” 30x40 Acrylic, Acrylic Marker on Canvas
This piece embodies the essence of lost ones who connected with the times to come and will travel to the new earth, an ascended matrix, leaving the superficial exterior in the old earth that has no rebirth. As we witness war, societal destruction, and evolutionary change, this is a visual representation of the collective mass longing for a new earth whilst having deep attachment to the reality of old earth. This ultimately being the downfall of those attached to this current, old earth both physically and spiritually as the tides change.
The matrix can only survive when its physical manifestation, earth, can thrive. As the matrix shifts we leave vessel behind, following Most High Spirit, allowing Higher thinking to guide the collective, the earth transitions to a more communal, earth sewing, technologically balanced, divinely led way of life.
“1000 Tears” 24x36 Acrylic on Canvas
The gospel of the waters hold the faith that carried bloodlines—for black and indigenous american slaves, water was consistently a space for salvation, resilience, and escape. Tribulation, Tragedy, Triumph, Liberation, and Transformation are songs of the waters traversed by those of the African Diaspora that were bewitched into slavery, body mutilation, and transgenerational alteration of epigenetic memory.
“I may cry a river (I may cry a thousand tears, but)
But You take each drop, and You wash (You wash me new)
Me new (people sing)
This water is deep (yes, yes, and I need You to)
Jesus, rescue me (come on, save me, I need You to)”
Juneteenth Festival and Jack Daniels 6 Foot Piece
LEANA collaborated with Juneteenth Festival in Denver and Jack Daniels Liqour to sponsor an African American migration inspired work of art to the city of Denver; live painted over two days at the Juneteenth Festival.
Ancestral Gold Rush
6 Feet by 4 feet Acrylic and Gold Ink on Canvas
This piece was to celebrate the community that was built in the coined area, “Harlem of the West”, where African Americans cultivated a community in Five Points of Denver with so much culture. Not only did LEANA create and paint the concept for this work of art, she also built and stretched the canvas locally. This piece can be viewed in Spangalang Brewery in Denver, Colorado!
Live Painting of Breast Cancer Inspired Donated Work of art
LEANA collaborated with the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Wardian here in Denver, CO donating a piece to their silent auction that raised over $11,000 for woman fighting breast cancer! Not only was the painting donated but it was also live painted at the event for everyone to watch process, admire the piece, and ask questions with the artist about the work of art being auctioned.
SOUL PROPAGATION
18x24 inches acrylic and Gold foil on canvasBreast Cancer piece highlighting how one going through this journey must learn to grow their soul in a new vessel after overcoming the disease. It speaks to the courage, strength, and resilience a woman has to be in their spirit during this evolution!
Teaching Visual Arts for Trio Upward Bound at MSU DENVER
A course taught at MSU Denver’s college summer program with TRIO Upward Bound for 9th through 12th graders. This course curriculum has been taught for the past two years and was completely designed by visual artist LEANA, as she leads another art course in Colorado. LEANA recently focused on abstract art creation building students confidence in creative problem solving, adaptability, knowledge of current self, and the simplistic use of color and shape to create art. This courses goal is to encourage students to take a journey within and discover their true passions within enjoying the human experience whilst learning fundamental skills for creative expression, drawing, and painting. Additionally, the class will dive into the large activism/healing theme that leads to deeper thinking of identity in community.
Art Education at Watershed School
Spirit of Creativity
LEANA was a co-teacher in this amazing creativity-focused, self discovery art course at Watershed School. This course focused on using multiple mediums of drawing and painting both inside and outside the classroom. Student’s creativity was guided and encouraged through class activities and literature. Students also used many wellness concepts such as mindfulness, connection with nature, and connection to senses through texture and sound to guide their creative concepts for this course. From spray painting, sound healing through lines and color, natural indigo dye, and African drumming students were exposed to several different genres of creativity and artistic expression.
Mixed Media Sculptures
LEANA created and taught curriculum for mixed media sculptures created from wood, plaster, acrylic paint, hot glue, stained glass, buttons, plastic flowers, hammers, etc. This course combined abstract three dimensional art and wellness through the creation of a mixed media art piece visually displaying the change of a negative emotion to a positive one from positive coping. This was a very abstract concept that allowed for immense creative freedom that can be either liberating or intimidating. Students were challenged in their understanding of their emotions, how they feel, and how to shift them in a positive direction. With guidance students thrived and were able to make intentional creative artistic choices in the colors, lines, movement, shape, and additional three dimensional pieces of materials.
Let’s work together
Interested in adding LEANA to your event’s services? Fill out some info and she will be in touch shortly! Elated to hear from you!