Kirsten Taylor

Lives and works in Tallahassee, FL, USA

Artist statement

My work is influenced by my rural childhood, spent playing outside, and foraging for plums, flowers, and dewberries. I focus on nature and through my art I encourage empathy and connection with the more-than-human world. As I did when I was a child I learn from nature and place by being outdoors and using methods of embodied learning. As I spend time in a place, I collect materials such as clay, plants, and sounds. Using local materials allows a deeper connection to and awareness of my landscape. With harvested plants I make paper, inks, and natural dyes. I harvest local clays for my ceramic sculptures and source other materials such as wood from local businesses. Influenced by science, indigenous teachings, and Black feminism, I ask how we as humans can reconnect and recreate a better world. My work takes the form of mixed media sculptures, videos, installation, poetry, and social practice projects. Previous projects have focused on themes such as loss of ecological knowledge and connection, human constructs of wilderness, invasive species, and habitat restoration. I continue to explore art’s potential for healing and positive cultural shifts.

Artwork

• Glacial Drift, 2023. Locally sourced clay, locally sourced catalpa
• Goldenrod, 2023. Hand dyed silk, cotton, linen, hemp, and wool yarn, locally sourced honey locust, porcelain
• Prairie Restoration, Native Medicinal Garden, 2022. Social practice, native tallgrass prairie seeds, locally sourced clay, plaster molds, ceramic
• Plat, 2023. Locally sourced clay, locally sourced osage orange, hand dyed silk organza, linen, thread
• Shades of Grass, 2023. Locally sourced native prairie grass, hand dyed cotton yarn
• Berth, 2023. Locally sourced clay, cedar, native prairie grass, handmade paper
• Conflicting Currents, 2024. Earthenware, terra sigillata
• Prairie Depths, 2023. Locally sourced clay, locally sourced walnut, bundling twine