We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steven Taylor. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steven below.

Steven, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My Ubuntu Fine Art Gallery project is by far the most challenging and meaningful project I’ve worked on to date. The aim of the gallery was to build the Ubuntu philosophy directly into the business model. Being a luxury single-artist gallery that resides in my low-income neighborhood of Germantown, Philadelphia, the goal is to curate our exhibitions that help my community have direct access to the arts, build the narrative around the exhibitions that can speak the demographic of the community, and spread the Ubuntu philosophy through conversation had directly with me.

As I’m learning, this is not a typical pursuit in the art world, so I’m often challenged with the inclusion of other artists and what type of access I allow to the space. By gaining more experience in the field, I’m confident that my language will adapt and leave less room for pushback.

For me, Ubuntu is not a marketing tool but a way of life; through conversation, I can plant the seed of Ubuntu in others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Personal Bio: Steven CW Taylor is a Software Engineer, Gallerist, and Contemporary Fine Art Photographer specializing in the documentation and archiving of Black Life during this time. His love for photography was birthed by his background in engineering. “Learning the machine called a camera, allowed me to be confident in the Art I am creating.”

Born and raised in the East Germantown section of Philadelphia, PA, this non-formally trained photographer makes it his business to provide his community with access to Fine Art “without the need to travel to more affluent spaces”. Having traveled to 18 countries, and 4 US National Parks, it is important for Steven to share his photography intentionally with his community. He is the founding artist and curator of Ubuntu Fine Art -Philadelphia’s first and only Fine Art Photography Gallery of a single artist.

As “The Time Thief” I steal moments of time to preserve the feeling and emotion of the instance in which the picture was taken. “I want the photographs I’ve taken over my lifetime to be the lens through that future generations to view the past. Similar the Gordon Parks before me, my legacy will transcend generations!”

“Be it an animal, person, or place, the process is the same…I don’t take pictures, I feel the emotions of space and steal that time.”

Gallery Mission:
The word Ubuntu expresses a South African proverb that we are all universally connected and bonded through humanity and sharing. The Ubuntu Fine Art Gallery, located in the Historic Germantown section of Philadelphia, aims to bring people together and allow the community to travel the world through fine art.

Owned and curated by Steven CW Taylor, the Ubuntu Fine Art Gallery is the first Black Owned, Single Artist Fine Art Photography Gallery in the USA. The Gallery showcases large-format color photographs, available in limited editions and made during Taylor’s travels to spectacular places in Africa, the American West, and more. The gallery offers a pristine space for public appreciation of photography, coupled with education about the art process and thought-provoking conversations about artistic expression, community activism, and social empowerment.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Blockchain technology is very solid. Things like NFTs, web3, and the metaverse that is derived from this technology need to withstand the scrutiny of time.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Become big-time buyers of the emerging artist, while the price point is reasonable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ubuntufa.com. https://www.stevencwtaylor.com/
• Instagram: @ubuntufineart @stevencwtaylor