Taylor Davis (born 1959) is an American artist. She rose to recognition as an artist and a teacher. She was best known for her innovative wood sculptures.[1]

Taylor Davis
Born1959
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBSEd, Tufts University
DFA, School of the Museum of Fine Arts
MFA, Bard College
Known forSculpture, Painting
Websitetaylordavis.net

Early life and education

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Davis was born in Palm Springs, California,[2] and grew up in the state of Washington.[3]

Davis earned a Diploma of Fine Arts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts; a Bachelor of Science degree in Education at Tufts University; and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College.

Career

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Davis has been a professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design since 1999,[4] and is also the co-chair of the sculpture program at Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College.[5] In fall 2008, she was visiting faculty member at the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University.

Her work has been widely shown across the United States,[6] and Davis was included in the Whitney Biennial in 2004.[7] Davis is represented by DODGEgallery, in New York City.

Artwork

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Davis incorporates commonplace industrial and construction materials into her work, sometimes with a rough finish (such as pieces of wood with the bark still attached), but often with a fine craftsmanlike finish and precision joinery.[8] Even though her raw materials are everyday, mundane materials, she often sorts carefully through them, looking for the ideal wood grain or texture.[9]

Much of Davis' best-known sculpture has been constructed from wood elements, such as 2x4 dimensional lumber, plywood, or wood moldings. For example, her Untitled (2001), in the permanent collection of the ICA Boston, has been compared to a shipping pallet, a garden gate, or a livestock enclosure. It is meticulously constructed of clear-grain pine, and conceals infinity mirrors inside, which reveal an infinite visual space within a simple everyday structure.[10]

Davis has also exhibited non-sculptural artwork, including collages and works on canvas.[11]

Grants and awards

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Major exhibitions

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Publications

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Berrigan, Anselm (2018). Taylor Davis : selected works 1996-2018 / [editor: Anselm Berrigan]. Arbor Press. ISBN 9780578508467.

References

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  1. ^ Boston Phoenix Review: "Art | Monumental". Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  2. ^ "Taylor Davis". deCordova. deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  3. ^ "Davis, Cherubini, in Contention". MIT List Visual Arts Center. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  4. ^ MassArt homepage: "Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Taylor Davis". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  5. ^ "Bard MFA People". Bard MFA. Bard College. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  6. ^ List of exhibitions: "Taylor Davis | CV | Horton Gallery". Archived from the original on 2010-06-26. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  7. ^ Washington Post article: http://www.rufuscorporation.com/wapost.jpg
  8. ^ Johnson, Ken (1 November 2002). "Taylor Davis". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  9. ^ "Taylor Davis New Work 2001". Green Street Gallery. www.greenstreetgallery.org. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  10. ^ "Untitled". ICA Boston. Institute of Contemporary Art Boston. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  11. ^ Villarreal, Ignacio. "Boston-based artist Taylor Davis opens exhibition at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum". artdaily.com. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  12. ^ "Fellow | Taylor Davis". Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Harvard University. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  13. ^ Radcliffe IAS profile: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-05-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Further reading

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  • "Three Questions: Helen Molesworth Speaks with Taylor Davis", by Helen Molesworth and Taylor Davis, September 5, 2011[1]
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  1. ^ "Three Questions: Helen Molesworth Speaks with Taylor Davis - Art Journal Open". Art Journal Open. 2011-09-05. Retrieved 2018-03-16.