SCC names new artist-in-residence

The Sonoma Community Center has named Austyn Taylor its next ceramics Artist-in-Residence.

Taylor was chosen from a highly competitive pool of 17 applicants from around the nation. Her five-month residency at the Center began July 18 and will culminate with a solo exhibit at the Alley Gallery, Sonoma in November. Taylor is a visual artist, educator, and storyteller. She began her career obtaining a BFA in illustration, a minor on philosophy, and a MST in art education from the Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduating, she moved to Denver, where she taught art for three years before returning to New York for her MFA in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

Renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell is quoted, “The artist’s function, their duty, is the mythologization of the environment and the world.” Taylor agrees, saying, “In my work, I am seeking that mythological source, seeking icons that are real or true like a heartbeat. I seek to be that artist that Campbell speaks of, to create expressions that summon the sublime/absurd honesty of our existence, idols that do not deny the agony, ecstasy and the tragic comedy of being alive.”

The public is welcome to visit Taylor’s studio in room 212. She will be teaching an all-level ceramic sculpture class, as well as leading Date Night in the ceramics studio. To learn more about the Center’s ceramics program, visit sonomacommunitycenter.org/ceramics-scc. To see more of Taylor’s past work, visit her website, austyntaylor.com

The Center’s Artist-in-Residence program provides opportunities for self-directed artists to develop a cohesive body of work that reflects their time at the Center. Open to all artists living within the United States, the all-inclusive program culminates in a gallery exhibition at the completion of each residency. For more information, visit sonomacommunitycenter.org, or call 938-4626, ext. 1.