The 2020 award for the John Chervinsky Emerging Scholarship went to photographer Tavon Taylor.
Join us online in the Griffin Zoom Room on March 10th at 7pm for an evening with Tavon showcasing his creative path, and beautiful series Last Rose of Summer. The exhibition of this work is on the walls of the Griffin Museum from February 20th thru May 23rd, 2021.
The judges said, “Tavon Taylor shows an already robust practice as a recent MFA recipient with a collection of rich, cinematic imagery. He presents a powerful voice that communicates the complexities and intimacies of the artists experience as a queer Black artist. A look at the larger bodies of work solidified the world that he has built where tenderness and vulnerability reign supreme. Kinship, intimacy, and community runs through this work and Taylor both stitches together and unties these concepts with each shared interaction between photographer and subject.”
Tavon Taylor submitted The Last Rose of Summer for consideration for the scholarship. Taylor says of the body of work:
“The Last Rose of Summer was Inspired much by the injustice shown within the media in 2020. Over the last few months, I’ve focused on creating images of the people closest to me. I’ve started with single portraits of my loved ones, then I grew curious about photographs before my time. I came across a photo album stored deep within my childhood home. Full of ceremonies, the city, all the people I didn’t know, and all the stories untold, the richness spilled through each image. This compelled me to dive more into my own family’s history. Through stories from my elders and found images, I’m navigating ways to dissect my own family dynamics.”
Tavon Taylor’s Statement of Purpose:
“Within the last few months, I’ve started my photo and video-based project, The Last Rose of Summer. In this body of work, I am discovering my family’s history within the DC and Maryland areas. So far, I’ve done interviews, filed archived images, make images of my loved ones, photographed our surroundings, and more. There’s so much that I’m thinking about and planning for the blossoming of this project. I’m excited to get to know more about my ancestry. I would love to be able to properly document the richness and depth that branches back far before myself. Through discovering and sharing my own lineage, I hope to create inspiring imagery celebrating the lives and legacy of those who’ve once walked this earth. In this process of discovering moments that have come before me, I am discovering myself. The last rose of summer gives me the chance to proudly and boldly take control of my own narrative as a queer black man navigating in today’s social climate. In this process, I am celebrating the people in my family that I love and those that we’ve lost. In sharing these stories, with a larger audience, I hope to inspire people to value those closest to them.”
