Taylor Yocom//This Was Fun to Make!
On view in The Nook from May 2 - June 20, 2026
Email info.thenookstl@gmail.com to make an appointment to see Taylor’s project
Taylor Yocom
This Was Fun to Make!
Three dimensional diorama with model horses, tiny flowers made of tissue paper, floral foam, model magic, floral wire, and tissue paper, model railroad grass, clouds cut out of paper, and butterflies made of watercolor and watercolor paper, hung with thread.
Dimensions Variable
Taylor Yocom (b. 1992) holds a BFA in Photography from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Visual Art from Washington University in St. Louis’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Based in St. Louis, her practice explores femininity, the language of flowers, and craft through photography, collage, filmmaking, and weaving. Her work has been exhibited and screened in venues across North America such as projects-plus gallery, Indie Memphis, FilmDiaryNYC, Comfort Station Logan Square, Granite City Art and Design District, The Times Club, and the Montreal Feminist Film Festival. Her artist books and zines are held in collections across the country including Rutgers University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Iowa Health Care, and the MoMA Library. She has been in residence at Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, Endless Editions’ Copy Shop Residency, and ArtFarm Nebraska.
About Her Work:
In my lens-based, collage, and fiber works I explore femininity, decoration, art, craft, and hobbies. I seek to learn about, and have hands on experiences, with hobbies that are coded as “feminine.” By learning more about these methods and incorporating them into part of my studio work, I seek to celebrate the labor and artistry that goes into practices such as model horse showing and craft-based arts. I have fun making quilts and weavings and taking photographs of model horses! By learning the skills and making them part of my work, I seek to complicate the narrative of if calling something “art” is in fact elevating it. I see this complication as a reflection of how hobbies stereotyped for women are taken less seriously. All in all, I try to elevate the idea of play and having fun in a studio practice.
You can find more of Taylor’s work at:
Email info.thenookstl@gmail.com to make an appointment to see Taylor’s project
About This Was Fun to Make!:
Ever since stumbling on a tiny cardboard box with three tiny model horses inside, my art practice has gravitated towards horses, imagination, and play. I rediscovered two childhood hobbies: collecting model horses and riding real ones. As an artist, I’m interested in expressions of femininity, in particular how certain hobbies are coded as feminine.
In looking at theories of play, particularly Johan Huizinga’s “seriousness” of play in Homo Ludens, I attempt to find space for play in art. This installation features flowers made from tissue paper and floral wire, meticulously handcrafted in my studio. The backdrop is a photo of the sky, but cartoonish cutouts of clouds block the full view. Two handmade butterflies hang from the ceiling in front of two horses, referencing the many days I’ve spent riding in an open field, butterflies fluttering by right beside me.