Susan Aaron-Taylor
Susan Aaron-Taylor (Aaron; born July 1947) is an American artist who creates mixed-media sculptures. For forty years she was a professor at the Crafts Department of the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan. Her work is abstract and surreal, stemming from alchemy and focusing on story-telling with dream-like qualities.
Susan Aaron-Taylor
David notMD · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Susan Aaron-Taylor
- Birth Name
- Susan Aaron
- Born
- 1947 7
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
- Education
- * Wayne State University (BSc)
- Known for
- Her art works which are deeply rooted in traditions of alchemy/creative fantasy.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- sculptor · artist
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Documentary summary
Susan Aaron-Taylor (Aaron; born July 1947) is an American artist who creates mixed-media sculptures. For forty years she was a professor at the Crafts Department of the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan. Her work is abstract and surreal, stemming from alchemy and focusing on story-telling with dream-like qualities.
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Susan Aaron-Taylor (born 1947) is an artist and sculptor, of American nationality. The artist was born in Brooklyn. Susan Aaron-Taylor was educated at Wayne State University.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q67905065 · wikipedia · Susan Aaron-Taylor
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Susan Aaron-Taylor • Birth Name — Susan Aaron • Born — 1947 7 • Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York, U.S. • Education — * Wayne State University (BSc) • Cranbrook Academy of Art (MFA) • Known for — Her art works which are deeply rooted in traditions of alchemy/creative fantasy. • Notable Works — Soul Shard #30, 2006
Biography
Biography
Susan Aaron was born in July 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. She lives and creates art works in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan.
Career
Career
She earned a Bachelor of Science at Wayne State University and a Master of Fine Arts at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She served as the Section Chairperson of the Fiber Design Department. and Professor of the Crafts Department at the College for Creative Studies for over 40 years in Detroit, Michigan. When she retired, Aaron-Taylor was granted emeritus status. Aaron-Taylor is known for her artworks that draw inspiration from her knowledge of alchemy, story-telling, chemistry, Jungian psychology, philosophy, archetypes, and the Collective Unconscious. She has exhibited for over thirty years and her work has been included in permanent as well as private collections.
Significant works
Significant works
• Deity series • Dreamscape series • Dream Games series • Threshold series • Soul Shard series • Teapot Series • Journeying Series • Endangered Species Series
Reviews and essays
Reviews and essays
• Dennis Alan Nawrocki; Steve Panton; Matthew Piper. "Essay'd 3: 30 Detroit artists". Wayne State University Press (2018).. • Green, Roger. "Personal Paths In her mixed-media sculptures, Susan Aaron-Taylor re-creates the landscape of her dreams, informed by Carl Jung's spiritually charged concepts." American Craft Council 70, no. 6 (2010):30. ISSN 0194-8008. • Carl Kamulski; Sisson Gallery. "2010 Motor City Revue: 38 Detroit artists". Henry Ford Community College (2010)..
Susan Aaron-Taylor wearing and standing begin her artistic creations at Great Mother and New Father Conference (2014). Table piece is "Tiger Teapot" (handmade felt, wood, geodes)
David notMD
Photo of artist Susan Aaron-Taylor taken June 2019 at Great Mother and New Father Conference, Nobleboro, ME
David notMD · Taken May 2019 at Great Mother and New Father Conference
Style and technique
Aaron-Taylor has created a body of artwork that consists of modest-sized sculptural objects which depict fantasy-like figures recalled from her dreams, including dogs, cats and other small creatures. The distortions from the anatomical correctness of the objects results from a practice of using tree roots, affixing felt in multiple colors for the basis of the core figure's form. She hand-processes her own felt. which she uses emulate an animal's pelt. She incorporates other natural and man-made materials, such as gemstones, pieces of metal, teeth and bone. She uses meditation and Jungian imagery as a source for inspirations. One of Aaron-Taylor's most prominent work was in the Dreamscapes and Soul Shards series which focuses on the psychology of marriage, dreams, and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. The Soul Shards series focuses on the retrieval of these broken pieces of soul. My dreams have been sourcing my creative life for over three decades. I continue to delight in discovering their essence, distilling and then sharing that one magical moment. My goal is to create clear, psychologically charged vignettes... I play with the symbols in my dreams as I embrace and tease out images from my unconscious that inspire and bring forth poignancy, humor and meaning.Before creating a series and gathering her materials, Aaron-Taylor will research her pieces to build upon her ideas to enhance the story-telling process. She believes that the process of making a piece is journey and as a long-time student of the Jungian psychology, most of her work comes from dreams that are a direct response from her interest in The Tarot, shamanism, ritual, alchemy, archetypes, and the collective unconscious. She brings forth parts from her dreams that bring poignancy, humor, and meaning.
Shows and collections
Shows and collections
• Selected one-person exhibitions • Soul Shard #30, 2006; Wayne State University Art Permanent Collection, Detroit, MI • Deity VIII, 1990; Cranbrook Art Museum Permanent Collection No. CAM 1992.17, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI. • Renaissance Center, Commissioned Wall Relief - Westin Hotels, Detroit, MI • K-Mart Corporation, Permanent Collection, Troy, MI
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Susan Aaron-Taylor”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q67905065: Susan Aaron-Taylor
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Green, Roger. Deeply Felt Creations. American Craft. American Craft Council. 70. 6. 30–31. 6 December 2010. 688336510.
- 2.Apel, Dora. 77 Susan Aaron-Taylor. Essay'd. 5 September 2017.
- 3.Wallace, San Dee. Krasl Art Center presents 3 very different artists' works. The Herald-Palladium. D1. 6 April 2006.
- 4.Atkinson, Scott. Detroit Area Artist Susan Aaron-Taylor featured at Mott Community College Fine Arts Gallery. MLIVE. 19 March 2012.
- 5.Susan Aaron-Taylor - Professor Emerita CCS. College for Creative Studies.
- 6.Art Program: Strata. North Campus Research Complex. 5 September 2017.
- 7.DeVito, Lee. Susan Aaron-Taylor exhibits as one of three solo shows at N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art. Metro Times. 10 June 2015.
- 8.Interview with Artist and Teacher: Susan Aaron-Taylor: from Psyche's Journey. psychesjourney.org Dead link. May 2026.
- 9.Projects: Susan Aaron-Taylor - Dream Games. River Gallery.
- 10.McNichols, Mary. A Conversation with Susan Aaron-Taylor. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche. 4. 2. 110–122. Spring 2010. 10.1525/jung.2010.4.2.110.
- 11.A Detail From A 'Deity'. Detroit Free Press. 86. February 27, 1992.
- 12.Dream Games Series. College for Creative Studies. July 16, 2013.
- 13.Chessler, Suzanne. A Tenuous Threshold: The work of Susan Aaron-Taylor, on view at the BBAC. The Jewish News. June 29, 2023.
- 14.Collections. Susan Aaron-Taylor. January 24, 2013.
- 15.Detroit Contemporary. Susan Aaron-Taylor: Endangered Species Series. 2023.
- 16.Miro, Marsha. Fantasy and mythology mix. Detroit Free Press. 43. April 28, 1995.
- 17.Letts, K.A. Gallery Exhibition: Susan Aaron Taylor at NCRC Galleries. Rustbelt Arts. October 23, 2017.
- 18.Lane Borden, Emily. Exhibitions > Picture of the Week - Soul Shard #30. University Art Collection. Wayne State University. 27 February 2017.
- 19.Susan Aaron-Taylor. River Gallery.
- 20.Nawrocki, Dennis Alan. Essay'd 3: 30 Detroit Artists. Wayne State University Press. 2018. 9780814345870.
- 21.Kamulski, Carl. 2010 Motor City Revue: 38 Detroit artists. Henry Ford College. 2010. 608538323.
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