Introducing 2026 artist-in-residence Ananda Leeke
The Arts & Culture Committee of the U Street Neighborhood Association has selcted our new Artist in Residence: Ananda Leeke. She is a long-time resident of our neighborhood and founder of Thriving Mindfully on U Street: a multi-generational mindful creativity project. Ananda will be offering four workshops this summer and fall to help us:
✿ take better care of ourselves as we navigate the changes happening in our lives and the city
✿ nurture connections with fellow U Street community members
✿ express and document our love and gratitude for the U Street community and explore their vision of the U Street community in the future
✿ identify and share our favorite U Street memories, history makers and moments, movements, organizations, businesses, buildings, and places
Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke, a proud resident of the historic U Street neighborhood, shares her gifts as a multidisciplinary artist, author, wellness professional, human design doula, and digital communications professional. Ananda’s creative work spans mixed-media art, wire sculpture, digital collage, spoken word, and writing. Inspired by her journey from high-stress careers in digital communications, investment banking, and law to the healing arts, she uses her creations to foster self-discovery and emotional wellness. Ancestral legacies, archetypes, female reproductive health issues, mindfulness, poetry, storytelling, and world cultures are reflected in her collages, drawings, paintings, photography, poetry, short silent films, wire sculptures, and videos. She blends her artistic practice with community engagement, aiming to inspire others to embrace art as a tool for healing and transformation.
Her books, Love’s Troubadours, a self-love and yoga-inspired novel about a U Street resident; That Which Awakens Me, a mindful creativity memoir; and Digital Sisterhood, a mindful technology memoir, are available on Amazon. In 2025, she and her father, Dr. John F. Leeke co-wrote his memoir, American Change Agent: A Life & Legacy of Seeking Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. That same year, her debut spoken world album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter, was released.
