Courtney M. Leonard

Courtney M. Leonard (born 1980) is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, and activist from the Shinnecock Nation in Long Island, New York.

[1] Her work revolves around issues of ecology and Native identity, specifically their intersection with water, which is essential to the Shinnecock.

Leonard primarily uses clay and her ceramic artwork has been inspired by the whaling coastal culture of the Shinnecock Nation.

In 2014, Leonard began BREACH, a mixed media project that delves into the multiple definitions of the word, as well as, how it pertains to her life as a member of the Shinnecock Nation.

"[2] In 2024 her work featured in an exhibition titled The New Transcendence at the Friedman Benda Gallery in New York (a group show curated by Glenn Adamson also featuring works by Ini Archibong, Andrea Branzi, Stephen Burks, Najla El Zein, and Samuel Ross).

[10] From then on, she began using her artwork with ceramics to focus on the issues that the Shinnecock community faces with the ocean environment and sustainability.