DECATUR - Vern Taylor has lived in many American cities in his lifetime, from his birth in Virginia to his young life in Washington, D.C., his high school years in Paducah, Ky., and ultimately his career as an architectural engineer and subsequent retirement in Springfield.
In one way, that life has brought his work to Decatur, as the Macon County History Museum prepares an exhibit featuring not his architecture, but his first love: Painting.
"I tried to pick things out that would be pleasing and captivating to the eye and the mind," Taylor said of the pieces he chose for the exhibit, which opens Saturday. "I like to paint for the purpose of doing things that I think are uniquely beautiful or have inspired me, or motivated me in some particular way."
Taylor's exhibit, titled "A Lyrical Fantasy of My Personal Africa: the Serengeti; Along the Underground Railroad," features paintings and verse Taylor has been creating for years. A theme running through many of the pieces, Taylor said, is the echoing effect slavery continues to have on the African-American experience. In many ways, he said, black Americans are still climbing a mountain.
"The black story is something that we don't really discuss until it gets to be more of a problem," he said. "For many years, the problem was the fact that we were in slavery, and when the Emancipation Proclamation came, there was still slavery in freedom, because there just wasn't acceptance of blacks being equal."
Taylor described himself as somebody who has always sought some creative outlet. When not painting, he sang in his high school choir and made a career out of architecture, eventually landing with the Illinois Department of Transportation, where he designed bridges and culverts.
Growing up in a household in a neighborhood of prominent black citizens in Washington and with a father who did administrative work at a university, Taylor said he didn't really feel the effects of racial discrimination during the civil rights movement. All the same, moving to Kentucky brought with it a change in culture, he said.
"We were always aware of the differences in the treatment that went on," he said. "It was a different kind of culture. We didn't discuss a lot about racial differences, but we were always aware of the fact that we were black and there was always that divide."
Taylor's work has been displayed in other exhibits over the years, and he sells greeting cards featuring his original artwork.
Pat McDaniel, executive director at the museum, said Taylor came over to the museum the previous summer on the recommendation of a friend on the museum board, and McDaniel suggested hosting an exhibit.
"(Taylor) is a very talented individual and a brilliant artist. I think we're lucky to be able to showcase his work," he said.
McDaniel said Taylor's work represents an artist's journey from African roots to modern-day American society.
"It's an artistic journey from his vision of Africa and his forebears that came over from Africa and how they got into American society. That's what he's been trying to do: Figuring out where he fits," he said.
McDaniel said he's designed the exhibit to reflect some of Taylor's personal observations and inspirations, including quotes from Taylor alongside the pieces.
"I think artwork tells its own story, but what I try to do in my exhibits, especially when I use artists or photography, is incorporate quotes by the artist within the exhibit," McDaniel said.
klowe@herald-review.com|421-7985
IF YOU GO
WHAT: "A Lyrical Fantasy of My Personal Africa: the Serengeti; Along the Underground Railroad," an exhibit by Vern Taylor
WHERE: Macon County History Museum, 5580 North Fork Road, Decatur
WHEN: The exhibit's opening is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 2 p.m. presentation
COST: Admission is $2.
DETAILS: Call 422-4919
