Howdy! My name is Courtney Lebow, I earned my Bachelor's in Cultural Anthropology as well as my Bachelor's of Fine Arts from SUNY Plattsburgh in upstate NY and graduated in 2014. I then relocated to Richmond, VA and for the last decade I have been working in the field of Art Education. Teaching and utilizing my love for the Visual Arts as a vehicle for human connection is my ultimate professional goal, and absolute passion! I finished my Masters in Art Education with honors from Virginia Commonwealth University in December 2018. I then taught High School Art full time for six years at Hanover High School leaving a legacy of 6 murals and a thriving Art program.

I consider myself a chameleon-like artist as I love exploring many different art media ranging from traditional figure drawing, assemblage sculpture, muraling, and acrylic painting. Two media in particular that I love working in are mixed media collage and visual journaling. I have been visual journaling to document my Art process for 20 years. Some of my biggest achievements include being awarded new teacher of the year at Hanover High School and I am proud of having grown the Art program significantly during my time there. I hold a certificate to teach IB Art (International Baccalaureate) which is an in-depth worldwide advanced Art curriculum. This course is special to my heart as it culminates with each student having their own personal highly professional Art show at a local venue, intensive artist research, and students receive college credit for this rigorous course of study.

For my personal artistic practice, one highlight was having a solo exhibition in a popular gallery in Richmond, Virginia named Gallery 5. In this exhibition I completed 100 portraits of community members and titled the exhibition “Interconnection”. Another notable experience was participating in a program titled “Mending Walls”, which is a muraling experience where two artists of different racial backgrounds come together to collaborate in painting a mural with community input. I was paired with artist Hamilton Glass and we created a 100 ft. mural highlighting young local activists of color, honoring their contributions to Richmond, Virginia.

I am continuously working on my art practice and dedicated passion for Art education, which is life-long. I love living in the vibrant city of Richmond VA, and spending time with my artistic community. I also play music as another deep passion, and can be found playing drums or piano with other creatives in Richmond. When I am not making art or music, I am spending time with my wonderful partner who owns @Sammich, and is an active musician regionally, playing with the bands Mackenzie Roark and the Hotpants, as well as Paint On It. I love spending time with my close friends and my tortie cat, Mazzy Star.

Exciting things on my horizon in 2025/2026:

• Beginning May 2025 I will be an Artist in Residence at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and I can't wait for an extended period of focus on my art making practice!
• I have recently been accepted to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) for their Low-Residency Masters of Fine Arts program, and plan to begin these studies in the summer of 2026!
• I have recently paired forces with another rockstar experienced Art Educator named Riana England and beginning July 2025 we will be offering art making workshops to the public in Richmond, VA! See more about us on our website: www.artnookrva.com @art.nook.rva