Taylor Childs is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and proud Detroit native whose work investigates themes of identity, ancestral memory, the aftereffects of the African Diaspora, consumerism, and the constructs of race within supremacist systems. Her practice centers on textile based storytelling, using fabric manipulation, collage, fashion, and material culture to engage with the complexities of African American life. Through vibrant assemblages and experimental fashion, Childs explores the visual language of bling culture, the poetics of preservation, and the legacy of familial care. Her work blends symbolism, domestic materials, archival imagery, and textile innovation to reflect the joy, struggle, and resilience of Black communities while honoring the histories embedded within everyday objects.
Childs earned her B.F.A. from the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit in 2018 and her M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2024. Childs serves as Community Arts Director of W.I.S.E. Partnership, a Detroit nonprofit dedicated to social, educational, and economic empowerment. Her projects include Footlocker Sneaker House (2021, 2022), Design in the City: Trunk Show (2021), APEX (2024), Candy: Fashion Activation (2025), and Born in Sepia (2026). Recent solo and two person exhibitions include Born in Sepia (2026), Candy: Fashion Activation (2025), Making History: Paintings and Collages (Wayne County Community College District, 2024), APEX (2024), Ancestral Echoes of Resilience and Providence with Meli Bandera (Ann Arbor Art Center, 2024), a solo exhibition with Kunzelmann Art in Milwaukee, and Fiber Flux. Her work has appeared in exhibitions at ArtClvb's DET<>TOKYO exchange in Shibuya, Tokyo; Playground Detroit; the Cranbrook Graduate Degree Exhibition; Detroit Artists Market; Trout Museum of Art; Library Street Collective; ArtPrize; Michigan Fashion Week; the Library Street Collective group exhibition; and numerous Design Core Detroit initiatives.
Childs has received numerous awards recognizing both her artistic practice and community impact, including the 2025 Knight Art + Tech Expansion Fund Grant, the Kresge Foundation Gilda Award, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) Emergency Grant, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation Materials Award, Detroit Artists Market's Best of Show, the Red Bull House of Art Microgrant, and the 2026 Awesome Award.
PRESENTATION DETAILS
Panel discussion with Carole Harris, Cyrah Dardas, and Taylor Childs
Thursday 04/29/27: 4:00pm (Cranbrook Auditorium)
In this panel, the Head of Fiber at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Joey Quiñones, will moderate a discussion between artists Carole Harris, Cyrah Dardas, and Taylor Childs. These artists have deep connections with the city of Detroit, and all use fiber and quilting in their work as a way to connect, heal, and preserve stories.
