Biography

Leslie B. Grigsby lives in Wilmington, Delaware, and creates her beadwork sculptures using glass seed beads and thread, working in off-loom bead-weaving techniques. In some cases, the work is woven over cores made of carved wood or other materials. Her sculptures typically take three to eighteen months to complete. Grigsby's works variously are inspired by Nature, science fiction, science fact, history, and/or art history and often are somewhat surrealistic in quality. They are included in private collections in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Her sculptures also are held by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and The Kamm Teapot Collections. As well as having been displayed at Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) exhibitions, Grigsby's works have been exhibited at several galleries in the US and Canada . Her single-artist exhibition Private Thoughts: Beadwork Sculpture by Leslie Grigsb y formed the loan exhibition for the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair , NYC (2017). Grigsby's work also has been displayed (2016-19) at the American Embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in Africa, as part of the US Department of State's Art in Embassies program. Grigsby's work has appeared in several printed and online publications, including the upcoming annual issue of American Artwork, a juried collection of contemporary painting, photography, sculpture, and craft (publ. Hong Kong, China, late 2020). Additionally, a chapter devoted to her artwork is included in Suzanne Golden's! book, Suzanne Golden Presents: 35 Artists Innovate with Beads (Lark Books, Sterling Publishing, NYC, 2013).

Artist Statement

Happily, I have been able to spend my life surrounded by inspiring objects and works of art, old and new. I was raised by parents who collected a wonderful range of British and American antiques and contemporary paintings. As a young person, I had drawn and done needlework, though those talents faded into the mists of time as my museum career progressed. Then, after many years, I hit a rocky patch…a time when my “real job,” on a daily basis, carried with it many challenges and causes of intense frustration. Not a depressed person by nature, I didn’t know where to turn. Luckily, a close friend saw my distress and encouraged me to seek out a new creative outlet. In response, I ended up wandering around a craft supplies shop. Nothing caught my eye until I arrived at the instruction book section and stumbled upon a beginner’s guide to off-loom bead weaving. “Why not?,” I thought, “At least this looks colorful and the materials—thread, beads, and a needle—shouldn’t break the bank.” And I was off! As an antidepressant, beading was the perfect solution for several reasons. If I make a mistake, I could simply pull out the thread and begin again. No people, animals, landscapes, nor history, is/are damaged by my expressing my imagination. (If folks think I’m weird, who cares?)