Visiting Artist Lecture

Leslie Cober is an award-winning illustrator, designer, curator, and educator whose work celebrates optimism, storytelling, and the power of visual communication. Her artwork will be featured in Legacy of the Line, an exhibition in September 2026 at WCSU, where Leslie has taught illustration in the graduate and undergraduate programs for the past 11 years. The exhibition presents her work alongside that of her late father, renowned illustrator Alan E. Cober.

Leslie is currently the Director of the M.F.A. in Illustration at Hartford Art School, where she earned her M.F.A. degree. In addition, she is President of the Society of Illustrators in New York City, where she has curated the Society’s Annual Members Exhibit since 2013. She has also curated the NYC Parks Art, Culture & Fun series, producing nearly 200 public workshops across all five boroughs of New York City. Most recently, Leslie received the NYC OTTY (Our Town Thanks You) Award, presented by NYS Senator José Serrano, Chair of Cultural Affairs, recognizing leadership and contributions that strengthen NYC’s cultural community.

Leslie has served on international juries representing the United States, and was selected to represent the country at the United Nations Climate Conference, where she curated a global poster exhibition in collaboration with the German Consulate. The project showcased artwork from art schools across all five continents, uniting artists worldwide in a shared vision of environmental awareness and creative responsibility. Her career also includes many years of teaching at the Fashion Institute of Technology, as well as speaking engagements at universities and colleges across the country.