Joy Sleeman

Joy Sleeman is Professor of Art History and Theory and Director of Research at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London. She has taught at the Slade since 1995, previously serving as Faculty Graduate Tutor for Arts & Humanities (2014-17) and visiting professor at the University of Lincoln (2015-18).

Her education includes a BA in History of Art from UCL (1987-1990) and a PhD from the University of Leeds (Department of Fine Art, 1995).

Sleeman's research centers on the histories of sculpture and landscape, with groundbreaking work on British land art. She challenges the American-centric narrative of land art, emphasizing British contributions and transatlantic artistic exchange. Her scholarship increasingly engages with global contexts (South America, Asia) and contemporary ecological crises, exploring climate change's impact on artistic practice through frameworks like the Anthropocene. She maintains strong public engagement, delivering lectures internationally at venues including the Getty Research Institute and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Her publication trajectory reveals deepening interdisciplinary connections between land art, environmental theory, and art writing. Recent works increasingly integrate climate discourse while expanding geographical scope beyond Western Europe, reflecting art history's evolving response to ecological urgency.

Key honors include:

• Henry Moore Fellow (1996-1997)
• Holt/Smithson Foundation Research Fellow (2023)

Sleeman supervises MA written research projects and has led significant collaborative initiatives including the AHRC-funded Landscape and Environment research network (2006-08) and the Getty's Lawrence Alloway project (2012-14). Her curatorial practice demonstrates exceptional institutional partnerships, notably co-curating the landmark 'Uncommon Ground: Land Art in Britain 1966-1979' exhibition with the Arts Council Collection and Hayward Touring.

She actively shapes the field through editorial work (Sculpture Journal board, 2000-19) and international critical dialogue as an AICA member (since 2014).