Susan Aaron-Taylor
Susan Aaron-Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, educator |
| Years active | Over 40 years |
| Known for | Mixed-media sculptural creations inspired by alchemy and Jungian psychology |
Susan Aaron-Taylor (born Aaron, July 1947) is an American artist known for her mixed-media sculptural creations. For more than forty years, she taught in the Crafts Department at the College for Creative Studies located in Detroit, Michigan. Her abstract and surreal sculptures draw inspiration from alchemy and focus on narrative elements imbued with dreamlike characteristics.
Biography
Born in July 1947 in Brooklyn, New York, Aaron-Taylor presently resides and produces her artwork in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan.
Career
Aaron-Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University as well as a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She was the Section Chairperson for the Fiber Design Department and served as a professor within the Crafts Department at the College for Creative Studies for over four decades. Upon retiring, she was honored with emeritus status.
Her artistic practice is deeply influenced by alchemy, storytelling, chemistry, Jungian psychology, philosophy, archetypes, and concepts related to the collective unconscious. Having exhibited her work for more than thirty years, her pieces are included in numerous permanent and private collections.
Style and technique
Aaron-Taylor’s sculptures are typically modest in scale and often depict fantastical figures inspired by her dreams, including animals such as dogs and cats. She intentionally distorts anatomical accuracy by incorporating elements like tree roots and hand-processed felt in various colors to create central figures that resemble animal pelts. Her assemblages also feature both natural and synthetic materials such as gemstones, metal fragments, teeth, and bone. Meditation alongside Jungian symbolism plays a significant role in shaping her creative process.
Her prominent series, Dreamscapes and Soul Shards, delve into psychological themes surrounding marriage, dreams, and the transformation of everyday experiences into extraordinary forms. The Soul Shards series specifically focuses on reclaiming fractured pieces of the soul.
Prior to initiating a new series, Aaron-Taylor conducts thorough research to enrich the storytelling aspect of her work. As a long-term student of Jungian psychology, much of her art responds to interests in Tarot, shamanism, ritual practices, alchemy, archetypes, and the collective unconscious. Her pieces evoke emotional depth through elements drawn from her dreams that communicate significance, humor, and poignancy.
Significant works
- Deity series
- Dreamscape series
- Dream Games series
- Threshold series
- Soul Shard series
- Teapot Series
- Journeying Series
- Endangered Species Series
Shows and collections
- Selected solo exhibitions
- Soul Shard #30 (2006); part of Wayne State University Art Permanent Collection, Detroit, MI
- Deity VIII (1990); housed at Cranbrook Art Museum Permanent Collection No. CAM 1992.17, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Commissioned wall relief at Renaissance Center – Westin Hotels, Detroit, MI
- Included in K-Mart Corporation Permanent Collection, Troy, MI
Critical analyses and publications
- Dennis Alan Nawrocki, Steve Panton, Matthew Piper. Essay'd 3: 30 Detroit artists. Wayne State University Press (2018). .
- Green, Roger. "Personal Paths: In her mixed-media sculptures, Susan Aaron-Taylor evokes the landscapes of her imagination, influenced by Carl Jung's spiritually infused theories." American Craft Council 70, no. 6 (2010): 30. ISSN 0194-8008.
- Carl Kamulski; Sisson Gallery. 2010 Motor City Revue: 38 Detroit artists. Henry Ford Community College (2010). OCLC no.: 608538323.
Additional resources
- Nevin, Dorica (April 2008). “Artist & Educator Interview: Susan Aaron-Taylor”. Psyche’s Journey Volume I, pp. 4–7.
External resources
- 20th-century American sculptors
- 21st-century American sculptors
- Cranbrook Academy of Art alumni
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Artists from Brooklyn
- Sculptors from Michigan
- People from Pleasant Ridge, Michigan
- Cranbrook Academy of Art faculty
- Wayne State University alumni
- Sculptors from New York (state)
- 21st-century American women academics
- 21st-century American academics
- 20th-century American women sculptors
- 21st-century American women sculptors