Lorin Labardee was born in Detroit, Michigan. After completing a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of Michigan, he went on to study fine arts at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Arizona, among other institutions. In 1993 he had his first solo exhibition at the University of Arizona. He is a retired high school social studies teacher, an occupation that has inspired his interest in political art for the past 15 years. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States. He has received support from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and Penland School of Crafts. He has worked as an art educator for Tucson Pima Arts Council and Casa de los Ninos.
He is presently completing a series of portraits inspired by his work with high school students. The series, “An Encyclopedia of Hats,” looks at the formation of identity as malleable and ongoing. He lives and works in Tucson, Arizona