Department of Art & Design hosts alumnus Rashod Taylor

MURRAY, Ky. – The Department of Art & Design at Murray State University will host Rashod Taylor, the Taste of the Arts 2023 Outstanding Fine Arts Young Alumni award recipient. Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in Art with a specialization in Fine Art Photography in 2007. 

Taylor is a contemporary photographer whose work is a window into the Black American experience. His current series, “Little Black Boy” documents his son’s life and his own anxieties of fatherhood in the face of a society confronting enduring prejudice, injustice and racism. In this ongoing project, Taylor addresses themes of family, race, culture and legacy through portraiture. The large and medium format process favored by Taylor are a contentious nod to the gravity of content and intention of frame. This format also disarms subjects by slowing time and heightening tension by raising intimacy.

Work from Taylor’s series, “Little Black Boy” is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Additionally, a photo from this series is currently on view in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery on the 6th floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts building as part of the "The Magic Silver Show" The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition. Taylor’s photo, “It’s Complicated” was awarded 2nd place in "The Magic Silver Show" by juror Frances Jakubek. He is also the 2021 recipient of the Arnold Newman Prize For New Directions in Photographic Portraiture. 

Taylor’s editorial clients include National Geographic, Essence and ProPublica, among others. His work has also been featured in CNN, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Forbes, Hulu, Buzzfeed News, Feature Shoot and Lenscratch.

Taylor will give a lecture on his work on Thursday, Oct. 12 at Noon in Fine Arts 623 located on the 6th floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts building. The lecture is free and open to the public.