Khari Turner

I was born April of 91’ in Milwaukee, WI. I lived in Milwaukee until spring of 2015, so the influence of Milwaukee comes into the work often, especially water. Growing up in a city next to a great lake, I sat next to the water all of the time in r...

I was born April of 91’ in Milwaukee, WI. I lived in Milwaukee until spring of 2015, so the influence of Milwaukee comes into the work often, especially water. Growing up in a city next to a great lake, I sat next to the water all of the time in reflection. At a young age, I took an interest in art from school peers and much from my grandfather, my grandfather was a draftsmen and carpenter, often making many things around the house. Between 2009 and 2015 was my struggle and a big part of why I work so hard to make work now. I wasn’t in school I was working a minimum wage retail job and switching between warehouse jobs, I had cheerleading and working for the NBA as entertainment some nights but life was stale and unfulfilling, except for the summer. Growing up I was in many programs, the most important being a nonprofit called Lake Valley Camp. This camp changed my life, taking trips in the summer of 2003 as a camper to working there until 2014 as Art Director. Camp is a big part of my long term goals now. I want to start an organization that specializes in giving back efforts to young artist and creating murals in low income environments to promote community health, pride, and clean neighborhoods, while trying to fight gentrification of these areas. Being an artist is so much about giving and I feel it’s so important to give back to the community. In 2015 I left Milwaukee and enrolled at Austin Peay State University moving my whole life to Tennessee where I received my BFA in studio art. Austin Peay was a large turning point for my artistic practice and really helped me find my voice in my work the four years I was there. But, the biggest change came in summer 2019 at the Chautauqua residency that my work started to form and become what it is now. In 7 weeks I made a lot of work and had the open opportunity to really focus on what I wanted most, outside of class room and school limitations, questioning even if painting or sculpture was the right path to take. Eventually I found what I was looking for. Currently I am at Columbia University working as hard as I can to articulate exactly what my work looks and feels like. I have a lot of different ideas but whats most important is that I stay true to being a good person, donating what I can, and focusing on the actual work. I have come a long way and there is nothing more I love then creating. I can’t stop working now and going back to my old life I left that when I moved to TN and the dream is now, so that’s what I’m doing!