Born 1994 in Chicago, IL
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
Leigh Blanchard is a Brooklyn-based artist working in photography and mixed media. As an Autistic artist, Blanchard’s practice explores the mechanics of perception while combining traditional lens-based media with tactile processes including collage, scanography, and sewn fabric. The abstract images that emerge from her process-based technique encourage the viewer to reconsider their preconceived notions of what a photograph can be.
Shaped by her experiences within the Autistic community, Blanchard’s work examines the ways perception is translated and communicated. She thinks about the camera much like she thinks about the neurodivergent mind. While neurotypical minds often seamlessly process and reframe information in a universally understood way, the lens bends and rearranges information internally, resulting in a final viewpoint that offers an unexpected way of seeing. By integrating textiles or other textural elements, she actively incorporates her personal need for sensory comfort and grounding directly into the pieces.
EDUCATION
2016 BFA Parsons The New School for Design, NYC
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026 Meet Me Underwater, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2026 #CollageNow2026, Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY
2024 Heartland, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2024 Berlin >> Brooklyn, ep.contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2021 Impressions, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2020 In Flux, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2020 15, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Color Shift, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Ashforth, Blanchard, Boyer & Factor POP-UP , Curated by 3walls, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Personal Journeys, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Small Works GOS 2018, Brooklyn Art Cluster, Brooklyn, NY
2018 And Now I See, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017-2018 440 Gallery Group Exhibition, BrooklynWorks at 159, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Abstraction at Large, Site: Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Composites, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Rendering Likeness, La Bodega Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017-2018 13th Annual Small Works Show, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Meditations, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 A Montage of Identities, Gallery MC, New York, NY (Link to Exhibition Catalogue)
2017 Mending Fragments: Hide & Seek, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Holiday Salon Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Codification of Chaos, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2016 BFA Photography Senior Thesis Show, Milk Gallery, New York, NY
2016 New Members Show, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2015-2016 11th Annual Small Works Show, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2014 Junior BFA Photo Open Studios, Parsons, New York, NY
2011 Graue Mill Photography Exhibition, Oak Brook, IL
AWARDS
2025 Highly Commended, The Homiens Art Prize
COLLECTIONS
2026 Centurion Lounge, JFK Airport, Brooklyn, NY
2025 Hai Hospitality, Austin, TX
2017 Talbott Hotel Art Collection, Chicago, IL (Acquired for hotel renovation, interior design by Kara Mann)
SELECTED PRESS
2018 And Now I See, Wall Street International, September 17
2017 Mending Fragments: Hide & Seek Two-Artist Exhibition at 440 Gallery, Bklyner, January 20
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2017 Exit 2017: A Montage of Identities, Gallery MC Exhibition Catalogue, June 20
2017 Issue No. 2, Flat Magazine, March 10
2016 Creating New Work From the Old, 440 Gallery's Blog, October 29
2016 Verge, Self-Published, May 1st
2016 Issue I: Pork, Unscooped Bagel, February 15
2016 PUPH 4005A CRN 1602, Thesis Class Publication, April 30
2015 Photography- by Leigh Blanchard, Unscooped Bagel, December 3
2015 PhotoFeast Zine, Parsons, November 13
CURATION
2026 The Artist’s Hand, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (Online Exclusive)
2018 Family Vacation, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (Online Exclusive)
2016 AMT Pop-Up Shop, May 17-20
2016 PST NO BILLS, Pop-Up Shop, March 10
© 2026 Leigh Blanchard