Bernard Leibov

Driftwood Conversations with Bernard Leibov

In this episode, Hilary Sloane speaks with Bernard Leibov — artist, curator, and founder of BoxoPROJECTS in Joshua Tree, as well as co-founder of the Joshua Treenial: Desert Futures.

Born in South Africa, Bernard’s story moves through the contrasting worlds of apartheid and awakening, the energy of New York’s art and finance scenes, and finally, to the open silence of the Mojave Desert. Here, he discovered a sense of belonging that changed how he lives and creates.

This conversation explores what it means to build community through art, how silence and vulnerability can be forms of creative practice, and the tension between supporting others’ visions and sustaining your own.

For Bernard, art isn’t just what hangs on a wall—it’s how you live, how you listen, and how you belong to a place.

Listen as we talk about transformation, belonging, and the power of the desert to strip life down to what truly matters.

Learn more about BoxoPROJECTS and The Joshua Treenial: Desert Futures at boxoprojects.com and joshuatreenial.com.