Gordon’s work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute.
One of Lori K. Gordon’s major works, an 8’ x 10’ biographical art quilt, “Labat: A Creole Legacy” was acquired by and is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.
Lori K. Gordon creates profoundly evocative and eloquent images incorporating a multitude of mediums, from painting to found object assemblage. Her use of found objects charges the underlying meaning in her work with the undeniability of the familiar.
In 2003 Gordon began capturing the local landscapes of her beloved Mississippi Gulf Coast in a series of acrylic paintings, and continued that work until Hurricane Katrina upended her life on August 29, 2005. With her home, studio and all of her supplies washed away by the 35 foot storm surge and 150 mile per hour winds which obliterated her community, Gordon returned to work using the only materials which were available to her. Gordon began collecting rubble and transforming it into works of art. “The Katrina Collection,” which came from this, garnered national media attention on MSNBC, CBS, National Public Radio and a variety of publications.
Private collectors of her work include former President and First Lady Roslynn Carter, singer Faith Hill, and ESPN announcer Jon Miller. Pieces of The Katrina Collection may be found in the public collections of the Mississippi Humanities Council, Thea Foundation and William J. Clinton Foundation’s Art Across Arkansas, Hancock Medical Center, and the Safeco Corporate Collection, as well as two museums in South Dakota.
Gordon’s works have been exhibited in over 60 shows including premiere art exhibit at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and “Impact on the Gulf” by The Culture Project in New York City.
In addition to Brown’s Fine Art, Gordon’s creations can be found in fine galleries in Minneapolis and Albuquerque.
Born and raised in South Dakota, Gordon settled near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi in 1991. She lives there with her husband, David “Cairo” Wheeler, a woodcarver and furniture maker.