b. 1974, Kalamazoo, MI

EDUCATION

2002 BFA Fine Arts, College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI


SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023 CREATED EQUAL, M Contemporary Gallery, Ferndale, MI

2022 SELF-EVIDENT, The Baber Room Gallery, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI

2021 DEFENSIVE, Detroit Contemporary, Detroit, MI

2018 RACISM SWEET RACISM, Elijah Wheat Showroom, Brooklyn, NY

TROUBLEMAKER, Hatch Gallery, Hamtramck, MI

2016 NIGHT AND DAY, City Gallery, Farmington, MI

2013 CITY WOLVES, Motor City Brewery, Detroit, MI


SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024

  • DEEP DIVE, M Contemporary Art, Ferndale, MI

  • ATLANTA ART FAIR, Pullman Yards, Atlanta, GA

  • THE ONGOING EXPERIMENT: 10 YEARS OF 333 MIDLAND AND THE ANNEX GALLERY, Annex Gallery, Highland Park, MI

  • OUT OF THE VAULT, INTO THE LIGHT- Curated by Leslie Graves, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • BEYOND TOPOGRAPHY, Janice Charach Gallery, West Bloomfield, MI

2023

  • ACTUAL SIZE, Galerie Camille, Detroit, MI

  • SKILLED LABOR: BLACK REALISM IN DETROIT, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI

  • IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT, Annex Gallery, Highland Park, MI

  • MOVEMENT, General Motors Design Center Gallery, Warren, MI

  • GET TOGETHER, Reyes Finn Gallery, Detroit, MI

2022

  • WE EXCHANGE: AN ASSEMBLAGE OF POSSIBILITIES, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

  • ART IN DETROIT: NOW, Curated by James Dozier, Heidelberg Project Gallery, Detroit, MI

2021

  • THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLKS: BEARING OUR TRUTH, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

  • THE SALAD DAYS, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

2020

  • PLUS ONE, Annex Gallery, Highland Park, MI

  • MULTIFACETED NARRATIVES: AN EXPLORATION OF BLACK FIGURATIVE ART, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • DELL PRYOR: A COMMON THREAD, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • GILDA SNOWDEN MEMORIAL EXHIBITION, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

  • SMALL SHOW, Center for Detroit Arts & Culture, Detroit, MI

  • INSECURITY, Riverside Arts Center, Ypsilanti, MI

2019

  • ACTUAL SIZE, Detroit Contemporary, Detroit MI

  • FACULTY NOW!, The Valade Family Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • PEOPLE STORIES, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI

  • DRAWINGS, M Contemporary, Ferndale, MI

2018   

  • THE ANTI-ART FAIR, Copeland Park, London, UK

  • BIG HIGHLAND PARK ART SHOW, Annex Gallery, Highland Park, MI

 2017   

  • TO THE END OF THE EARATH, Curated by Adrian Hatfield, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • NOW AND THEN: ARTISTS CONTEMPLATE THE SUMMER OF 1967, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • IMAGE/TEXT, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  • BEAUTIFUL BRUSHWORK, Pittman-Puckett Gallery, Ferndale, MI

  • NEVER AGAIN (AGAIN), Annex Gallery, Highland Park, MI

2016    

  • THE DARK SIDE, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham, MI

  • ROBERT SCHEFMAN: BODY OF INFLUENCE, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI

  • A PORTION OF TERRITORY, Boll Family YMCA Lobby Gallery, Detroit, MI

 2015

  • LET’S PRETEND, River’s Edge Gallery, Wyandotte, MI

  • THE NEW INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY: EXHIBITION I- Galerie Camille, Detroit, MI

                                                      EXHIBITION II- Gallery 161, Berlin, GER

2014

  • OIL & WATER: WORKS BY TAURUS BURNS AND MATT LEWIS, Corktown Studios, Detroit, MI

  • BIANNUAL ALL MEDIA EXHIBITION, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • BIG PAINTINGS, The Factory, Highland Park, MI

  • DETROIT INVITATIONAL, Dell Pryor Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • COLLECTIVE VISIONS, Ellen Kayrod Gallery, Detroit, MI

 2013

  • SURROUNDING POINT, Brown & Juanita Ford Gallery, Taylor, MI

  • WORK, Detroit Mercantile Company, Detroit, MI

  • EXCHANGE: CHICAGO <> DETROIT - Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago, IL

2012

  • PAINTING INVITATIONAL, 4731 Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • LANGUAGE, River’s Edge Gallery, Wyandotte, MI

  • NIGHT SHOW, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

2011

  • PAINTIN’ THE D, Motor City Brewery, Detroit MI

  • DETROIT CLASSIC, PROPER, Start Gallery, Detroit, MI

2010

  • DIALOGUE: TAURUS BURNS AND ALICE SMITH, Sherry Washington Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • DETROIT URBAN LANDSCAPE, Gallery 194, Lapeer, MI

  • THE CREATORS: SELF PORTRAITS, WCCC Brown and Juanita Ford Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • FIGURE/GROUND, Anton Art Center, Mount Clemens, MI

2009

  • RE:COLLECT, Review Contemporary Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • RACE, Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, MI

  • POST-APOCALYPTIC MOTOR CITY, 323 East Gallery, Royal Oak, MI

2008

  • SERRANO PICKS DETROIT, Center Galleries, Detroit, MI

  • FIVE PAINTERS, JRainey Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • METRO DETROIT REALISM, Marygrove College of Art Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • URBAN EDGE, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI

2007

  • DETROIT: NEXT, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

  • CONTRAST, Dell Pryor Gallery, Detroit, MI

  • IF OTHER PLEASE EXPLAIN, Work Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI

  • MAKING FACES, Butcher’s Inn, Detroit, MI

  • IDENTITY EXPRESSION, Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, MI

2006

  • THE ARTWORK OF TAURUS BURNS, Detroit Repertory Theater, Detroit, MI

  • FIGURE/GROUND RELATIONSHIP: TAURUS BURNS AND FRANK ENGLISH, Synergy Gallery, Berkley, MI

COLLECTIONS

  • Central Michigan University

  • Cranbrook Museum of Art

  • The Research and Special Collections of the University of Michigan

  • The Octavia Butler Estate

  • Numerous Private Collections


AWARDS

  • GILDA SNOWDEN MEMORIAL EXHIBIT- Second Place, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI, Feb 2019

JUROR

  • THE SPRING SALON, Detroit Contemporary, Detroit, MI 2023

  • HATCHBACK 16, Hatch Gallery, Hamtramck, MI 2022

  • MY PERSONAL JOURNEY, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI, 2019

  • DIY STREET FAIR, Ferndale MI, 2018

  • SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS (Painting and Drawing), Detroit, MI- 2020, 2018, 2017, 2013, 2012

  • DRAGON ON THE LAKE FESTIVAL, Featured Artist and Juror, Lake Orion, MI 2017

  • ARTS & APPLES FESTIVAL, Rochester, MI 2012

  • URBAN EDGE, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI, 2010

CURATOR

  • NATURE, Cass Cafe, Detroit, MI, 2022

  • STROKE, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI, 2013               

  • DETROIT PAINTERS, Beyond Words Art Gallery, Detroit, MI, 2013

  • THE DETROIT FRONTIER, Cass Cafe, Detroit, MI, 2009

CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION

  • The Riddle of the Hollow Reed” by Charlotte J. Harman, Baha’i Publishing Trust, 2012

  • Kyle Jeffries, Pilgrim” by Gail Radley, Baha’i Publishing Trust, 2010


STREET PAINTING 

  • DRAGON ON THE LAKE FESTIVAL, Lake Orion, MI 2017

  • ANN ARBOR STREET FAIR, Ann Arbor, MI, 2013, 2012

  • DETROIT FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS, Detroit, MI, 2008, 2007

PUBLIC ART

  • TIGER TOWN, Children’s Charity Fundraiser, Metro Detroit, 2007


ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

  • ART ON THE MOVE, Detroit, MI 2000

 PRINT

  • “Taurus Burns embraces his zebra stripes in ‘Created Equal’”, Detroit Metro Times, Randiah Camille Green, February 24, 2023

  • ”The Influence of Race, Politics & History”, College for Creative Studies Office of Admissions Alumni Profile, April 2022

  • ”Nature at Cass Cafe”, Real Art Detroit, Kim Fay, March 3 2022

  • “The BLAC List: Best of Detroit”, BLAC (Black Life, Arts & Culture), November-December 2021

  • “Taurus Burns at Detroit Contemporary”, Real Art Detroit, Kim Fay, September 16 2021

  • “We Are One”, The 2021 Metro Times Fiction Issue, May 26, 2021

  • Lindsay Keener, “Multifaceted Narratives: An Exploration of Black Figurative Art”, The Michigan Chronicle, September 1, 2020

  • K.A. Letts, “Claiming Privilege: Four African-American figurative artists from Detroit claim their place in history”, New Art Examiner, March/April 2020

  • “Detroit Sequential Vol. 2”, Detroit Novelty Press, September 2019

  • Michael Hodges, “Troublemaker Stars at Hatch Art”, Detroit News, May 21, 2018

  • Joni Hubred-Gold, “City Gallery Hosts New Exhibit” Farmingtonvoice.com, March 9, 2016

  • K. Michelle Moran, "Brush with Greatness", Grosse Pointe Times, May 23, 2013

  • E. Ashley Rooney, 100 Artists of the Midwest, Schiffer Books, 2012

  • "Pontiac Marks 150th Anniversary with Art", Detroit News, Mar 2012

  • Brianna Valleskey, “Community Arts: Taurus Burns”, April 21, 2010

  • “Best Local Artist”, Real Detroit Weekly, March 2010

  • Suzanne Bilek, “Detroit on Canvas”, Hour Detroit Magazine, January 2010

  • Michael Hodges, “City Portraits”, The Detroit News, September 23, 2009

  • "Gritty views of Detroit in Paint Creek's Taurus Burns show", Detroit News, March 19 2009

  • Dan Graschuck, “Best Local Artists To Collect”, Hour Detroit Magazine, June 2007

  • Keri Guten Cohen, “The Art Stars of Tomorrow”, Detroit Free Press, March 2, 2007

  • "Painted Tigers Aid Charity" The Oakland Press, March 28, 2007

  • Desiree Cooper, “Artists Find Muses Inside Themselves”, Detroit Free Press, November 19, 2002