Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah May Taylor
Hi Sarah May, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m from a mid-sized Canadian city in Ontario called Hamilton, which is best known for steel production. I moved to Toronto to work in music television in my early twenties. I’ve been an artist since I began sketching rabbits in backyards as an elementary student. Probably before. Lately, I’m reflecting about the places and people I come from as well as the stories and memories that turned me into an artist.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I come from a family with little regard for art or creativity, but it became important for me to find ways to incorporate beauty and storytelling into my world from a young age. This seeking allowed me to survive some challenging times. I think resourcefulness and curiosity helped shape my worldview and interest in art. I wouldn’t say the path has been smooth. I would say my work has had a lot to do with things eventually becoming much clearer.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an multidisciplinary artist, educator and cultural worker currently living in LA. I started making work to understand the questions and ideas I couldn’t put anywhere else. Photos were my focus for a long time, and I wanted to explore their limits to see how photography, performance, sculpture, and other mediums could intersect and overlap. The first significant project I did was a series of photos taken in my apartment while interviewing participants about their experiences in the grey area of mental wellness. Years later, I’m still thinking about collaboration and intimacy.
I’m interested in radical connections, grief, personal histories, and how our connections to the past affect our meaningful participation in the current moment.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m not a person who is thinking a lot about trends. I’m interested in being present and paying attention. We’re all a work in progress. I think everyone, not just artists, should spend time with Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower series, bell hooks’ collected works, the book My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem, and the poems of Mary Oliver. I also believe that, especially now, those who can and have a deep desire should make good art.
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What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
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Local Highlighter Series
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What did suffering teach you that success never could?
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What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
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Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
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If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
