Leslie Wilson

Leslie M. Wilson is academic curator and director of research programs. Through the department of Academic Engagement and Research, she supports emerging museum professionals, research initiatives, and academic programs. She is also a former Art Institute intern, having worked in Photography and Media 2011–2012 while pursuing her PhD at the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the Art Institute of Chicago in 2021, she was assistant professor of art history at Purchase College, SUNY, and a curatorial fellow at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. Her research, teaching, and curatorial endeavors focus on the history of photography, the arts of Africa and the African diaspora, modern and contemporary American art, and museum studies.

In the Room with David Goldblatt

One family’s morning in bed offers a window into South African life under apartheid—and a photographer’s efforts to reckon with its legacies.

Leslie Wilson and Yechen Zhao
Leslie Wilson, Associate Director, Academic Engagement and Research

With a global perspective and outgoing manner, she guides and supports emerging professionals at every stage, from undergraduate internships to post-doctoral fellowships.

Leslie Wilson, Arianne Nguyen, and Hannah Samoy

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