Mason Taylor (b. 2004) is a queer African American mixed-media fine artist, ceramicist, and educator from Bowie, Maryland. He graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) with a BFA in General Fine Arts (2026). Taylor’s work confronts and responds to American history, identity, and race through archived materials and various mediums. His art explores historical depictions and representation, appropriating previous “master” works and techniques. He employs portraiture to retell both known and unknown narratives, including those of his own. Through the reversal of narratives and storytelling, his paintings challenge tradition, contemporary art, and historical ideals. He shatters established images, degrading and molding his materials, shedding light on moments of truth and intimacy. His work contrasts past and present, U.S. and personal histories, exploring the passage of time and points in history.

Taylor’s practice is based on his own Virginia history. In installations that combine painted portraits, objects, and wheel-thrown ceramics with furniture from his grandmother’s Lynchburg home, he preserves memories, images, and rituals through family history. His ceramics are a commentary on fragility and objectivity. With craft material and installation, he explores ideas relating to femininity and excess. He creates his own personal and handheld icons, exploring the themes of commodification and commercialization. His work builds an archive of found and handmade materials in response to the loss of many primary sources.

Taylor’s work has appeared in the Prince George’s County 2025 Annapolis Delegation Art group exhibition and several group shows at MICA. He placed second in the 2022 Congressional Art Competition in Virginia and was a 2021 Scholastic American Visions Award nominee and the recipient of the Alliance/ACT-SO Journey scholarship that year. He is currently pursuing his Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at graduate school at MICA.