Leah Kiser - Curriculum Vitae

 

BORN
1982 Melrose, Minnesota
EDUCATION
2005  BFA, Coe College
          Cedar Rapids, Iowa
          Fine Art and Philosophy 
2003  New York Term study
             through Coe College,
             New York, New York 
            Apprentice to sculptor
                 Lee Tribe 
             Apprentice to sculptor 
                 Romolo Del Deo 

AWARDS
2025  Art Renewal Center
           17th annual Salon Competition
           Finalist for Imaginative Realism
2024  Tempe Festival of the Arts
             Winter Fair 
             Winner for Painting Category
2023  Best Independent Book Award
            for Illustration
            There Will Be Nonsense.
SELECT JURIED EXHIBITIONS 
2023  National Oil & Acrylic
            Painters Society
            (NOAPS)
             Best in America
             Featured "Can You Tell me
             What is Real?"
             Principal Gallery, VA
2021  Group Show "Not an Art Fair"
            ShockBoxx Gallery
            Los Angeles, CA
            Featured "Hooker's Dream"
2021  Solo Show: “Just For Fun,”
            (Canceled due to Covid)
            {9} The Gallery,
             Phoenix, Arizona 
            Conducted Virtually
             From Artifactfa.com
2018   Group show
              Assuage Gallery,
             Casa Grande, Arizona 
2006   “Quiet Thoughts and Dreams”
              Solo Art Show 
              Gretchen’s Café Culture,
              LaConnor, Washington 
2005    "Truth and Artifact"
               Senior Thesis Exhibition: 
               Coe College,
               Cedar Rapids, Iowa

NOTABLE 
JURIED ART FAIRS
AND FESTIVALS
2023  Celebration of Fine Art,
            Scottsdale, AZ
2022  Celebration of Fine Art,
            Scottsdale, AZ
2020   Arizona Fine Art Expo,
           Scottsdale, Arizona 

MAGAZINE PUBLICATIONS
& ARTICLES 
2025 "The Process Behind the Painting"
         Beautiful Bizarre Blog
2025 "Leah Kiser: Complexities of the Unexpected"
         Beautiful Bizarre Blog
2024  "Raven Cat Presiding"
            Beautiful Bizarre
            Issue #47
2023  "Can You Tell Me What is Real" 
             Fine Art Connoisseur
2023  “Fancy Meeting You Here” 
            Back cover
            Fine Art Connoisseur 
2022  Spring 2022 Creative Quarterly
              Fine Arts Issue #66
              3 works published
               "Fine Feathered Friends,"
               "Hooker's Dream," 
               "Cockatoo Shells"
2021  "Leah Kiser"
             ART SEEN spring/summer
             First Issue 
             thecuratorssalon.com
             Editor: Gita Joshi
2021  "Virtual Art Show with Fine Art
              Painter Leah Kiser"
             Voyage Phoenix,
             Phoenix, Arizona
2019  "Artifact Fine Art" 
              Golden Corridor Living,
              Casa Grande, Arizona
2019   "Casa Grande Art Museum"
               Art Museum Renovation,
              Golden Corridor Living,
              Casa Grande, Arizona
2017    "Meet Artist Leah Kiser"  
              Voyage Phoenix,
              Phoenix, Arizona 
PRESENTATIONS 
2023  Author Speaker
            St. Charles Public Library
            St. Charles, Minnesota
2021 Panel Discussion Speaker
           Humor in Art
           Celebration of Fine Art
           Scottsdale, Arizona
2017  Commissioned Speaker, 
            San Tan Artist Guild,
            San Tan, Arizona
2016  Commissioned Speaker, 
             Casa Grande Art Association,
             Casa Grande, Arizona
2005  "Truth and Artifact"
           Honor’s Symposium,
           Presented
           Senior Thesis Paper
           Art BFA 
           Coe College 
           Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2005   "Finding Common Ground"
             Philosophy Colloquium
             Presented
             Senior Thesis Paper
             Philosophy BFA
             Coe College 
             Cedar Rapids, Iowa
BOOKS & FILMS
2025  A Philosophy by Leah Kiser
             Truth seeking with analogies
              to realist drawing processes
             Published on Medium.com
             22 posts 500 pages 
             Read it Here
2022  There Will Be Nonsense,
            coffee table, fine art,
            picture book.
            Written and illustrated
             by Leah Ode Kiser,
            Self Published,
            BIBA award Winner
            Casa Grande, Arizona,
            1000 copies $60 each
            (200 copies left as of 2025).
2021   Documentary
             "Casa Grande
             Art Museum Renovation" 
             Written, filmed, directed
             and edited by Leah Kiser
             Staring Richard Santasiero,
                         Tim Gates, Stan Balka
                         Jim Butler, Bob Spille,
                         and Cindy Patterson
2017   Morgan the Ox,
             Children’s Book,
             Written by Seth Ode,
             Illustrated by Leah Ode Kiser,
             Self Published,
             Casa Grande, Arizona, 
             500 copies sold out.
 OTHER
2020  Designer of Public Artwork
            Steel and Stained Glass Fence
            Casa Grande Art Museum
            Casa Grande, Arizona
             Building listed on the
             National Register
             of Historic Places

2019   Painting: "Walk to Remember"
             Featured on Library Card,
            Casa Grande Public Libraries, 
            Casa Grande, Arizona

SERVICE 
2021   President 
            Casa Grande Art Association
            (CGAA)
2020   Treasurer,
             CGAA Inc.,
             Casa Grande, Arizona
2019   President
            CCGA Inc,
            Founding 501 C Board Member
            for Not For Profit Corporation, 
            Casa Grande, Arizona
2018   Fundraising Coordinator
             CG Art Museum Restoration
             CGAA
             Raised $18,000  
             Casa Grande, Arizona
2018   Juror,
            Plein Air Painting Competition 
            Casa Grande Commission
            for the Arts
            Casa Grande, Arizona
2017   President
            CGAA
            Casa Grande, Arizona
2017-19 Founder and Coordinator
              Life Drawing Group, 
              Casa Grande, Arizona
2016    Secretary
              CGAA
              Casa Grande, Arizona