Leroy Campbell (b. 1956: Charleston, South Carolina) is a self-taught visual artist whose

hands—born with a thalidomide birth defect—have become the instrument of his liberation and

legacy. Rooted in his Gullah Geechee heritage, Campbell creates powerful collage and mixed

media works distinguished by bold black silhouettes without eyes, expressive lips, richly

textured hair, and deliberate white contour lines that honor Black identity with unapologetic

clarity.

 

Influenced by artists such as Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and James Denmark,

Campbell works in ongoing series that give him endless outlets to honor different dimensions of

Black experience—Neck Bone reflects community determination, Black Eye Peas celebrates the

salt-of-the-earth people of his Southern upbringing, and Moonglow Jazz pays tribute to New

York's vibrant jazz culture.

 

Each series is a deliberate act of ancestral remembrance that weaves

past and present into a visual testimony, affirming Black identity across generations while

honoring the spirits of those who poured into him. His work resides in prestigious collections,

including those of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Sunny Hostin, Ed Gordon, Duke

University, and Crossroads Theater Company.