Leslie Robbins’ passion for art in public space has manifested itself in a number of ways: as assistant to artists like Michael Davis or, in collaboration with Julia Klemek, making six large-scale clay sculptures along the LA & Orange Counties coastal city parks. Prior to moving to Rotterdam, she lived and worked in [West] Berlin where she did her Meisterschuler.
In Rotterdam, she shared an office in the Rotterdam City Hall with an open door policy to ‘artists’ initiatives’ during its year-long reign as Cultural Capital of Europe.
Since assuming her post at the Piet Zwart Institute her drive to bring art to the general public has moved into the nurturing of students whose careers are ahead of them.
In 2019, invited by Anna Ramsair to think with her about opening up their studio building to a wider audience, and they created together, The Orange Tree art project (TOT). In the summer of 2020, the Foundation opened its garden as a workspace for local artists answering an Open Call and has facilitated numerous concerts initiated by local musicians.