Simone Leigh is renowned for creating artworks that transcend race and gender to celebrate Black women and give them a voice. Now she’s sculpting her way into history. The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art say Leigh will be the first Black woman ever to represent the U.S. at the prestigious Venice Biennale arts festival. The Chicago native originally was to appear at next year’s Biennale, but the coronavirus pandemic prompted organizers to delay the 2021 edition by a year to 2022. The Biennale has become a leading venue for artists worldwide to call attention to war, racism, poverty and other issues troubling the planet.
