Leslie Butterfield holds several art-related degrees including one specialized in fiber arts from Aarhus Art Academy in Denmark and a masters and PhD in Design and Art History from the University of Minnesota. During her diverse careers, she made a living as an artist, founded a software company, worked for many years in technology and retired in 2015 to Sarasota to spend more time with art. Today, Leslie is a practicing artist and an active member of many arts organizations. She completed a six-year term on the Public Art Committee for the City of Sarasota and three years on the tourist development grants panel for the arts in Sarasota County. She is a co-founder of Art in Common Places, a public-art-oriented non-profit in Sarasota and recipient of a Halo Arts Fellowship. Leslie enjoys connecting and helping people, she is passionate about the arts and grateful to be part of the Halo Arts Project.