ARTIST STATEMENT
Scream: A Portrait of Collective Voices is a series of small-scale portraits capturing the raw, unfiltered expressions of women pushed to the edge—screaming in grief, anger, frustration, and defiance. Each figure, rendered in black and white against vivid fields of saturated color, amplifies the immediacy and intensity of emotion. The women are not individuals but archetypes—symbols of resilience, strength, and shared humanity. Representing diverse racial, ethnic, and religious identities, they reflect a collective emotional landscape that mirrors the complexity and multiplicity of contemporary society. Their unified outcry becomes a civic rallying call, urging viewers to channel shared feeling into shared action for a more just and compassionate world.
Created in response to a divisive social climate where hard-won rights—especially those governing women’s bodies and futures—are under renewed threat, Scream transcends any single political moment. It explores the enduring human need for voice, dignity, and recognition, offering viewers a space for reflection and connection. Behind every scream lies a longing for belonging, justice, and hope.
Together, these portraits form a visual chorus—a gathering of voices that insist on being seen and heard. The exhibition centers on emotional visibility, civic urgency, and the universal right to expression, told through the intimate language of portraiture. In a space devoted to public life and community, SCREAM invites all viewers to look beyond difference, recognize shared struggle, and listen for the collective voices shaping a fairer, more inclusive future.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lori Moretti is a Boston-based contemporary figurative painter whose work explores the emotional and psychological complexities of womanhood and identity. Her portraits capture moments of raw expression—grief, strength, defiance, and resilience—revealing what lies beneath the surface of composure. Born with a crayon in hand, Lori spent her formative years immersed in the art room, studying under master painter Joseph Salafia before earning dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1979. Alongside her studio practice, she built a successful career in creative communications, founding CM Communications in 1986, an award-winning agency representing leading arts, culture, and hospitality clients nationwide. Lori has studied with artists Mark Daniel Nelson, Robert Henry, and Jim Peters, and continues to expand her practice through ongoing study and exhibition. Her work has appeared in numerous juried and national exhibitions, including the Cambridge Art Association, South Shore Art Center, Bromfield Gallery in Boston, Galley West Gallery on Cape Cod, Art Center Sarasota in Florida, the New Hampshire Art Association Biennial, and Hera Gallery in Rhode Island. In Artscope magazine, critic Beth Neville praised her painting Doreen, writing: “Great art combines three qualities: a sure command of the media, a unique creative idea, and a universal symbol. This work exhibits all three.
© Lori Moretti