Lee Steadman is an award-winning artist, curator and educator best known for his watercolor paintings and book illustrations. He has worked for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and National Geographic Society. His illustrations have been featured in publications by TV personality Fred Rodgers, Readers Digest and countless other publications. His watercolor paintings have been exhibited and collected by universities, museums and galleries nationwide. Steadman has served as a board member for various arts organizations and has curated and juried arts exhibitions in museums and galleries for more than 30 years. From 2011 to 2018, he was appointed by then Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett to serve as a board member for the Pa. Council on the Arts, influencing the arts across the commonwealth. In his role as director of Bloom Collaborative, a nurturing artist collective and behavioral/mental health program that served the arts to Erie residents for 17 years. This program helped thousands of individuals, non-profits and corporations have a better life through the arts. In 2020 Steadman was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Erie Art and Culture for his work using the arts heal and improve people's lives.