Artist In Residence Exhibition
February 13–April 3, 2025
Every Day Prey
By Taylor Pate
McLanahan Gallery
Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Penn State Altoona
3000 Ivyside Park
Altoona, PA 16601
814-949-5451
[email protected]
Artist Bio
Pate earned her bachelor of fine arts in painting and history from West Virginia University in 2020. She completed her master of fine arts at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2023. That same year, she was awarded the Murray Dessner Travel Grant, which allowed her to travel through Ireland and explore the region’s ancient art and its connections to Appalachian culture.
Artist Statement
As an Appalachian artist, Taylor Pate draws inspiration from the landscapes and cultural traditions of her homeland, weaving together the natural world and the narratives of human experience. Viewing nature as both subject and collaborator, she explores cycles of transformation— shedding, renewal, and growth— mirroring the painful yet wondrous evolution of womanhood and girlhood. Her work is rooted in questions of identity and belonging: how personal and collective histories shape us, how we inhabit this world, and how we connect to both the past and the future.
Through symbolic imagery and layered storytelling, Pate examines the interconnected relationship between myth and reality. Metaphor and allegory act as bridges between ancient narratives and contemporary experiences, evoking themes of resilience, memory, and metamorphosis. Her works reflect a dialogue with her ancestors, the traditions of Appalachia, and the mysteries of the natural world, inviting viewers to uncover their own connections to shared stories.
Checklist
The Waters Watch, 2025
48 x 36
Oil on canvas
Marked, 2025
36 x 48
Oil on canvas
Scope, 2025
14 x 14
Oil on canvas
Spotlight, 2025
14 x 14
Oil on canvas
Sight, 2025
14 x 14
Oil on canvas
Wintering, 2025
28 x 22
Oil on canvas
The Offering, 2025
14 x 14
Oil on canvas
Dark Room I, 2025
14 x 14
Oil on canvas
Dark Room II, 2025
14 x 14
Oil on canvas
Red Thread, 2025
34 x 24
Quilted fabric mixed media