Beth Urban Collection on Doris Leeper

Doris "Doc" Leeper was an internationally known artist and environmental activist. Leeper was the founder of the Atlantic Center of the Arts, which resides in New Smyrna Beach, FL, and she was also crucial to the creation of Canaveral National Seashore and the Spruce Creek Preserve. In 1999, Doris Leeper was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame; like artists Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway.

Leeper was born on April 4th, 1929 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She grew up in Charlotte where she graduated from high school with an honors degree in 1947. This led to her admittance to Duke University for a pre-med track - this is where Leeper acquired the nickname "Doc". After some push from mentor and professor Charles Sibley, Leeper switched her major to Art History, which she graduated with honors in 1951. Post-graduation, Leeper moved to Atlanta to work in screen printing and work on her art during off-time.

Leeper moved to Eldora, Florida in 1960 after visiting a few years prior and falling in love with naturalistic aesthetic of the area. Once in Eldora, Leeper really began her push for environmental change; starting with voting "no" for the addition of a paved road in Eldora. She continued to push for environmental action to happen along the coast - pushing for the creation of the Canaveral National Seashore. After a long fight, where President Richard Nixon refused to sign into law any more National Parks, President Gerald Ford signed the Canaveral National Seashore into law on January 1st, 1975.

Leeper then moved her focus on the idea of creating an Interdisciplinary Artist Residency. She created the Atlantic Center of the Arts in 1977 - where artists from all backgrounds came to mentor other artists. During the build, her focus on environmentalism was still front and center. Leeper told friend and architect Will Miller to cut down as few trees and to disrupt as little nature as possible. Miller did exactly that, creating a haven for artists to feel connected to nature and themselves. Leeper's art was one-of-a-kind, focusing on using spray paints instead of acrylic or oil, or the use of conventional brushes. Most of her art work is so unique it is not able to be restored due to the process of her art style. She, later in her career, migrated more towards sculptures, focusing on harsh-dramatic lines.

Leeper received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Stetson University on May 11th, 1997. She also received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from her Alma Mater, Duke University, on May 18th, 1997. A few years later in 1999, Leeper was placed in the Florida Artists Hall of Fame - with artists like Ray Charles and Ernest Hemingway. In 1990, Leeper discovered a lump in her breast that quickly disappeared before obtaining a biopsy. In 1993, that lump returned, and it was confirmed to be cancerous. Leeper pushed on throughout the rest of her life, ensuring that she wouldn't let cancer bring her down. Leeper died just after her 71st birthday on April 11th, 2000.