Leslie Brothers

Leslie A. Brothers is an innovative museum director, curator, and educator with over 35 years of experience in academic, municipal, state, and national art institutions. Her career has been dedicated to making the arts accessible and meaningful to diverse communities through civic engagement, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and inclusive cultural programming.

At Carthage, Prof. Brothers works closely with faculty, staff, and students to promote, integrate, and create pathways to the utilization of the Samuel and Berry Shoen Collection of Soviet Art. She assists in the development of the annual symposium celebrating the Shoen Collection as well as the promotion of the H. F. Johnson Gallery of Art programming.

Previously, she was executive director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, where she rebranded the museum and developed the award-winning Solving for X exhibition series. She also led capital improvements, including the Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center. As director of the McDonough Museum of Art at Youngstown State University, she transformed the institution into a hub for socially engaged art and community partnerships. Prof. Brothers has curated hundreds of exhibitions, collaborated on NEA-funded placemaking initiatives, and presented nationally on innovation in university museums.

She holds an M.A. in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University and dual B.A.s in Art History and French from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with additional study at La Sorbonne in Paris.

• Bachelor of Art in Art History and French — University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Master of Art in Art History — Virginia Commonwealth University