Lorraine Turi

Artist/ Lecturer at UNC Charlotte

Education:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography, UNC Charlotte (2010)
Master of Fine Arts, East Carolina University (2013) 

Hometown: Asbury Park, NJ

“When I enrolled at UNC Charlotte, it was my intention to get a Bachelors degree so that I would be able to find a decent job,” says artist Lorraine Turi. “Through the guidance and encouragement of my professors, I began to focus on what I really wanted to do and instead of just getting a job, I now have a career that I love and feel completely dedicated to.”

Now a lecturer in Foundations in the Department of Art & Art History at UNC Charlotte, Lorraine previously taught at Rowan Community College. Lorraine uses photography to create photographic explorations that investigate the complex relationship between humans and the environment. Among that body of work are “photographic explorations” of workers’ issues, particularly the migration from field to factory and the effects of the corporate environment on industry and workers’ lives.

“Staging my photographs in a field, I use the worker as a mechanism to contemplate the complex relationship between the worker and American industry in contemporary society. The field in my photographs represents the generations of farmers and workers that have physically put hand to soil in order to plant food and sustain life. The photographs are digitally constructed and then printed on paper that has been imbued with dirt from my land, creating a permanent physical connection between the soil and the paper or image. “

Lorraine has fond memories of years in the Rowe Arts building. “I was fortunate to be a part of a very talented and creative group of students. We worked hard but still managed to have a lot of fun together. The education, support, and encouragement that I received through the UNC Charlotte Department of Art & Art History was an invaluable part of my growth as an artist and one of the deciding factors in my decision to continue on to graduate school.”  

Lorraine’s work was featured in Fall 2013 in the Department of Art & Art History Alumni Biennial in Rowe Galleries. Their images have been published in Creative Quarterly, Lenscratch, The States Project, and Focal Plane magazine. More about their work can be found at this website.