November 14, 2010
Memorial Event, by visiting artist Steed Taylor, took place at the Coleman Center for the Arts in November of 2010. Participants were invited to write the names of loved ones, memories, or thoughts, onto balloons that were released into the sky, and blessed by a community prayer.
The project introduced the York community to themes in Taylor’s larger body of work, the Road Tattoos. These murals on public roads are an intersection of memorials, ritual, and public art. Taylor is interested in how personal emotional significance can be imbued into public spaces. Placed at locations of individual or community significance, the murals are composed of cultural designs previously appropriated to mark skin. Painted with high gloss latex paint the designs are subtle markings that appear and disappear with passing light.
This program was made possible by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the generous contributions of our individual supporters.
About the Artist
Steed Taylor holds a B.F.A. from the University of North Carolina and has studied at the Skohegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His public projects have been realized all over the globe including at the 2008 Beijing Biennial, and at institutions such as the North Carolina Museum of Art and Real Art Ways of Hartford, Connecticut. He currently lives in New York City.