Artist Bio

LaKesha Lee is a multidisciplinary artist based in Knoxville, TN. Through her work, Lee provides self-empowerment by engaging with materials that foster storytelling and community connections. She uses techniques such as quilting, hand-building, and collage, combining found and self-made materials to craft visual narratives that bridge her family’s past, present, and future.

Her work explores the premise of learning from history to shape a better future, challenging perceptions of Black bodies and physical labor. Lee honors her lineage by displaying visual fragments of family photos with family stories and southern historical references.

Through her evolving practice, she is cultivating a "material-language"—a diverse toolkit of methods that push the boundaries of creative expression. Her work not only preserves fragments of the past but also engages with African American history and the importance of Black representation. Found and handmade materials serve as a foundation for storytelling, reflecting resilience and connection across generations.

Lee’s practice is rooted in material exploration, where accessible and natural materials become a language of freedom. For her, materials tell stories by combining unexpected elements and open pathways to discovery and connection. Her assemblage collages, sculptural installations, and ceramic works express a commitment to cultural preservation and innovation.

Lee has participated in several notable exhibitions, including Embodying Culture: Women in Appalachia at the Reese Museum, ST of ART UAB at the Gadsden Museum of Art, and the 77th Annual Student Competition at the Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture at the University of Tennessee.

Currently an M.F.A. candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Lee earned her B.F.A. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2019. Her work celebrates Black representation and family legacy, offering visual narratives that honor the past while inspiring a shared future.