The artist Courtney M. Leonard, a citizen of the Shinnecock Nation of Long Island, explores marine biology, Indigenous food sovereignty, migration, and human environmental impact through visual logbooks that investigate the multiple definitions of the term "breach.”

Her exhibition at the University Museum of Contemporary Art is the result of a multi-year artist residency hosted by the UMCA and the UMass College of Natural Sciences. Leonard researched within UMass’ expansive Natural History Collections and selected objects to inspire her newest body of work. BREACH: LOGBOOK 24 | STACCATO, includes paintings, sculptures, and video based on the life and kinship ties of Staccato, a North Atlantic Right Whale killed by a ship strike in 1999, whose remains are housed in the UMass collections.

The exhibition will be on view from Sept 20 to Dec 6, 2024.

Reception and concert: Thursday, September 19, 5:30-8 p.m. / University Museum of Contemporary Art and Bezanson Recital Hall

Regular museum hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon - 4 p.m.; and first Thursdays until 8 p.m.