Cledie Taylor, a pioneering Detroit artist, gallerist, and educator who championed the city's Black artisans and shaped its art curriculum, has died at the age of 100. Born in Arkansas in 1926, she moved to Detroit as a child and became a central figure in the local art scene, co-founding the influential artist collective Arts Extended in the 1950s.
The art world mourns the passing of Melvin Edwards, a pioneering American sculptor who died on March 30, 2026. Known for his mastery of steel, iron, and barbed wire, Edwards rose to prominence in the 1960s with works that balanced formal abstraction with the heavy symbolism of chains and industrial materials. His career was marked by significant milestones, including being the first African American sculptor to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in 1970 and his long-standing presence in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.