A fine artist for more than 60 years, Lee also taught arts & crafts, worked as a commercial artist, as a display artist, and illustrated children’s books.
Lee’s art is represented in many private and public collections including: the Allentown Art Museum, Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, Council For Relationships, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley Health Systems, National Museum of American Jewish History, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Project Home, Temple University – Fox School of Business, and Woodmere Art Museum.
Solo Exhibitions include: the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Eyes Gallery of Philadelphia, Yolanda Gallery of Art in Chicago, and a retrospective at the Allentown Art Museum.
Honors received include: the Bebe Benoliel Founder’s Award, from Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Moore College of Art & Design, Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Robin Hood Was Right Award from Bread & Roses Community Fund, and Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial Founder’s Award.
In addition to creating her own artwork, Lee has made it her mission to help other women artists. During 1980’s, Lee began to collect outstanding art by women for the purpose of building a collection to donate to a museum—a museum where art by women would be received with enthusiasm and fully integrated into exhibitions and programming so women’s art would be more visible and better appreciated.
In 2010, after 25 years of collecting, Lee gave her entire collection to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Currently, the Linda Lee Alter Collection of Art by Women includes more than 500 works of art across a broad spectrum of mediums, styles, and points of view.
In 1991, Lee founded the Leeway Foundation to make grants to women and trans artists living in the greater Philadelphia area as a way to further recognize and support women artists. Today, Leeway is a community-led, grant making foundation that supports women and trans artists and cultural producers working in communities at the intersection of art, culture, and social change.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1939, Philadelphia has always been Lee’s home. Lee says, “At 84 years old, I am grateful for each new day. My hope is to continue to create art, contribute to causes for equality and justice, and enjoy the gift of family and friends.”