By Shya Beth
Noa Leibson may only be 26 years old, but her passion for all things horses, art and history has taken her on adventures throughout the world. From showing on the ‘A’ circuit and studying in the United States, Scotland and France to being a part of archaeological digs and scientific explorations in Eastern Europe, the eastern United States and Scotland, in addition to numerous gallery and museum internships and culminating in her role as curator of exhibits at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky, it’s safe to say that Noa’s adventures are what most dream of.
A horse-crazy Chicago girl from a young age who started riding at 3, Noa spent ‘far too much time’ doodling horses in her school books. Starting with riding lessons, her equestrian interests led to showing on the ‘A’ circuit in 2011 in the Pony Hunters, and a year later, Noa was the proud owner of her heart horse, Gatsby, a Zweibrucker bred by Tracy Geller. Noa’s original riding goal was to focus on equitation, but the jumpers, hunters, three-day eventing and trail riding for fun also captured her attention. Then, art and horses came together in her life when fellow riders found out about her creative streak and asked for her to draw and paint their horses.
Art, Horses & History
Despite an obvious passion for art, it wasn’t always Noa’s path. “I studied art history in high school and was in love, but I was adamant I would not study it in college,” Noa said. “I was completely insistent I would go to medical school or something. When I made it to Gettysburg College, though, I lasted a semester before I gave in. I was turning in an assignment to my medieval art professor, Dr. Felicia Else, when she pulled out a major declaration paper and made the very correct observation that art history and anthropology were what I wanted. She became my advisor and one of my best mentors.”
Noa brought Gatsby with her to Gettysburg College, where she attended from 2016 to 2020 and was captain of her IHSA team. Horses were constantly on her mind, so much so that many of her papers had horses tied into them. While working on her art history thesis on chariot racing and horses, she worried it was too niche, but was reassured by another professor that specific topics like ancient horses needed to be covered by someone, so it might as well be her.
After graduating, Noa knew that studying abroad at the University of Glasgow was the next step in her education. “It was certainly a frightening thing, moving to Europe alone, but the old halls of the medieval university called me and felt like home,” she said. “I not only studied art history, but also conservation science, chemistry, physics, fine arts and anything I’d need to get hands-on with artwork. I learned how to make paints from scratch as artists did hundreds of years ago and utilized them to create master copies.”
Noa’s own dissertation, however, leaned into the science side of art. “I worked with researchers at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, where I used spectroscopy—a study concerned with electromagnetic radiation—to find traces of pigmentation on classical sculpture, specifically the Roman-era Antonine Wall that crosses the Central Belt of Scotland,” she said. “What many people don’t realize is that classical sculpture and architecture were frequently painted; we just can’t see it now. By using radiation technology, I was able to find the elemental footprint of the works and deduce what colors they used to be, based on comparing the elements to pigments.”
Aside from the classroom, Noa has fully immersed herself into art and history—as close to time travel as one can get. Spending a semester in France focusing more on the creative process and technical skills of painting, plus working as an archaeologist in Eastern Europe and the East Coast in America, gave her intimate knowledge and experience of the art and museum worlds.
Stepping Into a New Role
All the education and experiences Noa accumulated led to her current occupation—and dream job—becoming the curator of exhibits at the International Museum of the Horse. Having just finished her degree from the University of Glasgow and finally looking for full-time work, Noa saw a posting in a history group. Although she knew she was quite young for such a curatorial position, she applied due to her focus on horses within the academic world, a perfect full-circle moment from showing at the Horse Park in her pony days. Noa helps brainstorm new exhibits for their equestrian galleries, then runs the process of putting them on. It might be an equine art show, or, for instance, a new exhibit on the history and world of horses in Japan.
“Because it can be so project-dependent, every day tends to be different. I might be writing labels, doing equestrian research, cleaning old artworks and artifacts, navigating international shipping or coming up with new ideas,” Noa said. “My lunch breaks are always the same though—since we’re on site at the Kentucky Horse Park, I go pet horses or visit my retired Gatsby. I recently started leasing a new Thoroughbred, Canyon, and aspire to return to competing regularly. We did our first comeback show at the Horse Park, and we ended up winning Champion in our jumper division. So much fun!”
In addition to her professional work and equestrian pursuits, Noa is also working on another project: writing and illustrating her own children’s book about horses and history. “The main protagonist is real-life Princess Kyniska of Sparta, the first woman to ever win in the Olympics in 396 BCE,” she said. “Creating the artwork myself has enhanced my artistic vision and allowed me to grow as an artist by exploring new challenges.”
Noa, her work and her adventures are sure to inspire future generations of equestrians, artists and historians—just as Noa herself has been inspired. “I’ve picked up the moniker ‘Artemisia,’ which I’ve added to my signature,” she said. “The female artist Artemisia Gentileschi is another hero of mine, and the act of her picking up a paintbrush in Baroque Italy despite all the pushback and violence she received no doubt impacted the ability for me to do so now, without judgment and expectations of my gender. I believe that learning should be both fun and engaging, and I’ve found that art and storytelling are the perfect mediums for achieving that.”
For more information, visit noaartemisia.crd.co
