Leslie Barlow (b. 1989) is an artist working in Minneapolis, MN. Barlow believes art and art making is both healing and liberatory, through the power of representation, witnessing and storytelling. Her life-sized oil paintings are inspired by community and personal experiences, and often serve as monuments to community members and explorations into how race entangles the intimate sphere of love, family, and friendship. Barlow received her BFA in 2011 from the University of Wisconsin- Stout and her MFA in 2016 from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Barlow is currently a 2025 McKnight Visual Artist Fellow. In 2021 Barlow was awarded the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, and in 2019 she was awarded both the McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship and the 20/20 Springboard Fellowship. Barlow actively exhibits her work throughout the United States and many of her pieces can be found in private and public collections, including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Weisman Art Museum. Her commissioned portraits can be found in spaces including Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Macalester College, the Hennepin County Medical Center, Pillsbury House Theater, and the US Bank Stadium. In 2022 she was selected to be the Minnesota State Fair Commemorative Artist. Her first illustrated picture book, Revolutions are Made of Love, written by Sun Yung Shin and Mélina Mangal, was published in 2025. Her studio is located in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.

In addition to her studio practice, Barlow is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. She previously taught at Carleton College, Metro State University, and Juxtaposition Arts. She also occasionally teaches community classes/workshops and shares her work through public lectures. In 2017, she joined a team of organizers and artists to plan the first-ever MidWest Mixed Conference, which then grew into the organization MidWest Mosaic with ongoing programming. In 2019 Barlow founded the PF Studios program (Public Functionary) for emerging artists, which has now supported over 50 artists and continues to evolve and sustain with community investment and support. Additionally, Barlow is the founder of ConFluence, a BIPOC arts, science fiction, and fandom convention, and a co-founder of Creatives After Curfew, a mural collective developed in response to the murder of George Floyd.

Leslie Barlow is represented by Bockley Gallery.