Community Grant to Support Artist Residency

Hi there! For those who do not know, my name is Shefon Taylor. I'm an interdisciplinary artist based in Wilmington, DE.

In July of last year, I was selected to participate as an artist-in-residence with the Delaware Contemporary Museum in my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. I accepted, understanding that it would be a year of sacrifice, a commitment to my future self. Over the last year, this residency has created abundant physical, emotional, and mental space to deepen my relationship with my artistry.

While the residency has provided artists with physical studio space, mentoring, and other support resources along with a culminating exhibition, it financially supports artists with a stipend of $3,000 for the year. So in this final stretch, I’m asking for support to be able to work in-studio through June.

A few things about me –

I didn’t grow up in and out of art museums or understand much about the art world, but my grandmother ensured every moment of my childhood was creative. We spent our days in and out of A.C. Moore and Zainy Brainy craft stores knee-deep in crayons, play-doh, popsicle sticks, and plastic googly eyes.

As I grew older, I recognized her excitement for creativity fueled my desire for expression, from my first moments onstage to my transition as a writer and now as a visual artist.

Since 2018, I have been able to, in some capacity, work and live as an artist. If you’re familiar with my work, I have shared the intimate parts of my artistic practice, inspirations, and creative musings in digital space across Instagram and Twitter.

However, as my creative practice continues to expand, I am aware of the time, resources, and dedication required to do so. I have found pockets of time to work and would be deeply grateful for the experience of dedicating my time to the last two months of my residency. In the fifth year of working toward full-time artistry, the resources from this community scholarship would allow me to overcome some of the challenges of working as an artist who is a mother and non-traditional or academically trained.

The future –

I am excited about the future as an artist. I plan to continue to be housed as an artist with the Delaware Contemporary Artist Studios at the end of my residency.

I am deeply committed to continuing to explore rememory, interiority, and the exceptional found in the Black vernacular. The last year has reaffirmed my desire to continue my lifelong work as a Black woman artist.

With your support, this is a pivotal moment to create a proper pathway toward a multi-disciplinary approach in my work and begin to concretize the artistic language I have started to explore in my practice.

Your support will offset living costs for the remainder of my residency and final expenses toward supplies, transportation, and my artistic practice research.

I understand how precarious a moment it is for us all; I’m deeply grateful in advance for your contribution. I appreciate each and every one of you who have supported me and my work over the years. Thank you for being a believer in my vision.

Love Always,

Shefon