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.
Taylor's life and work are deeply intertwined with the social and cultural transformation of Detroit into a majority-Black city. As a founder of Arts Extended, she helped create vital exhibition and mentorship opportunities for Black artists at a time of segregation, establishing one of the city's first Black-owned galleries. Her legacy spans artistic practice, gallery leadership, and art education, marking her as a foundational figure in Detroit's 20th-century cultural renaissance.