Curatorial Statement

Through shared investigations of family, legacy, and origin, Taylor Childs and Meli Bandera’s Ancestral Echoes of Resilience and Providence addresses questions of migration, place, subculture formation, and protection. Using the collective language of quilting and weaving, Bandera and Childs exhibit works that express the memory, emotion, and cultural touchstones of Mexican and Black culture—all of this passed down to them by their family.

Meli Bandera

Instagram

Meli Bandera (they/them) (b. 1996) is a Chicana multi-disciplinary artist and educator based in the Great Lakes Region. They are from South Bend, IN. Their work focuses on the interaction of ancestral fiber techniques and contemporary practices, such as Chicano Tattoo traditions to investigate cultural shifts and the effect migration and place contribute to a cultural identity. Through black and gray linework, bold, saturated color, and story-driven narrative, Meli explores Mexican and Catholic histories and family legacy. They hold a BFA in Drawing and Painting from Indiana University South Bend and an MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

In 2018, Meli was an artist in residence at the South Bend Museum of Art and at Praxis Fiber Workshop this past summer within their Digital Weaving Residency with the TC2 loom. As an educator, Meli has taught youth programming at the South Bend Museum of Art, the University of Notre Dame, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Meli’s work has been exhibited regionally in the Midwest at the Box Factory for the Arts, South Bend Museum of Art, Colfax Cultural Center, Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture, The Scarab Club, and Buckham Gallery.

Taylor White

Website | Instagram

Artist and proud Detroit native (American, 1995) Taylor Childs (she/her) explores themes of identity within self and family, the after-effects of the African Diaspora; the perception of people, consumerism and constructs of race within supremacist systems, and bling culture. Translating these themes into a narrative where they are applied to explorations of fabric manipulation through textile tradition to create a dialogue representing the complexities of African American life.

Childs received a B.F.A. from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. During her time at the College for Creative Studies, she interned with local artists such as Carole Harris and Tiff Massey. In 2018 Childs became a Crafts and Fibers art teacher at University Prep: Art and Design, teaching 9th-12th grade Crafts and Fibers. As well as teaching various art programs, such as Hope for Flowers by designer Tracy Reese in 2020-current. College for Creative Studies pre-college fiber program, 2023. Childs recently curated an exhibition named After Effects, which was held at Patch and Remington Gallery in Marcellus, MI. In 2021, Childs showed work at the Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI. Childs actively participates in the Month of Design sponsored by Design Core. Some of the shows include Footlocker Sneaker House; 2020, 2022. Design In the City: Trunk Show, 2020. In 2022, she held her first solo exhibition at the Roasting Plant in Detroit, MI. Some other shows include Unraveled. Restructured. Revealed. Trout Museum of Art, Appleton, WI. In 2021, she participated in a Group Show called In This House. Curated by Art Mile: Library Street Collective, located in Detroit, MI. In 2021 Childs had a Solo Residency at the Siren Hotel through Patch and Remington Gallery. In 2023 she received the Detroit Artist Market, Annual Scholarship Awards and Exhibition. Best of Show. In 2022 she received the Inspiring Educator Award from Scholastic Art and Writing. In 2021, she received the Red Bull House of Art Microgrant in Detroit, Michigan. Childs is currently pursuing her MFA in the Fiber Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2024.

Opening Reception

Friday, October 11 6–8 pm

Ann Arbor Art Center
117 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor

Join us for the opening reception of Meli Bandera and Taylor White’s show in the Spotlight Gallery on the 2nd floor of the A2AC.

Free