Through his sculpture Leonard Dawson explores the use of common everyday objects. His work demonstrates how when taken out of their normal context they can become objects of controversy. He views these objects as a direct response to the symbolism in our lives. He also explores the meaning of gender and language through his work. "Both social and psychological experiences of gender are rooted in the interpretation of these objects. The symbols we deal with most frequently are words. I am concerned with symbols as they occur in art, but most concerned with the symbols, which result from the description that words provide."

Leonard Dawson Jr. received a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Arizona State University and a Masters in Art Education from the University of Illinois-Champaign. He served in the U.S. Army, as illustrator for the Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command, in Panama. He has exhibited extensively in Arizona, where he resides, throughout the United States and in Washington D.C. at International Visions, The Gallery.

"Over the years, many people have come in and out of my life, each having different influences. However in recent years these experiences I have had now lead me to contend the importance of relationships each having a significant impact on my way of thinking. I have come to the conclusion that people share, regardless of color, culture, or class, similar beliefs and experiences."

-Leonard Dawson Jr. 2002