Mom, I Had a Nightmare

February 13, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00PM, Opening Reception

Join us Friday, February 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the solo exhibition, “Mom, I had a Nightmare.” by Taylor Baxley (MFA in Art ’27)!

Statement from the artist:
My artwork explores the realm of physical and psychological experience; it contemplates the boundaries between consciousness and the unknown. Dreams are a fundamental part of our subconscious; they reveal our hidden desires, fears, and thoughts. Central to my work are themes of the subconscious, loss of control, collective night horror, the relationship between sleep and death, and the distinction between the physical body and the soul. I seek to articulate the line between clarity and confusion; the misperception of reality. Coming from a family of 6 children, my siblings and I collectively experienced parasomnia, consisting of nightmares, night terrors, sleep walking, and sleep paralysis. This shared familial experience built a connection as our subconscious states intersected nightly.

Through self-portraiture, I confront these unsettling moments, drawing from both personal and a shared subconscious memory. I question the lines between reality and the illusions of the psyche. I invite the viewer to meditate on the forces that shape the subconscious’ unsettling thoughts, desires, and fears and to find beauty inside its control.

This exhibition will be on view through February 20.