Mary Taylor

Mary Ellen (Molly) Taylor

Age 93, died at home August 18, 2020, surrounded by loving family, after a life of leadership and grace. Molly was the founder and long-time director of the renowned Minnesota Poets (later Writers) in the Schools program, and COMPAS, still a thriving community arts program in St. Paul. A life-long Minnesotan, growing up in St. Louis Park in a home filled with classical music, watercolor painting, theater productions and literature, and near a creek, which led to her love of the natural world. (Molly was always proud that, in 1961, she won the annual Field & Stream fishing contest with a record northern pike.) Molly was an early leader of the arts council at the Walker Art Center and, in 1968, turned her love for poetry and education into a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to place poets in the Minneapolis Public Schools. In the project’s early years, famous and seminal poets traveled here for readings and seminars, joining with and influencing Minnesota writers and students. One early tenet was that artists should always be paid for their work, not a belief universally held at the time, and greeted with enthusiasm by the poets. The project was woman-led, with Molly’s signature combination of brains, and tenacity, and charm. In 1974 in St. Paul, she founded COMPAS; it grew into a million dollar program and became the incubator for the MN History Theater, Music in the Park, Springboard for the Arts, and more. At the center of a cohort of national leaders and influencers, with seats on influential boards and government programs, over time Molly extended the community arts residency to include painters, dancers, sculptors, photographers, sending artists of many disciplines into parks, senior centers, and community locations. An advisor for the Rockefeller Fund, the NEA, the US Office of Education, the Kennedy Center, the Scottish Arts Council, and more.  Extensive board service to organizations large and small. To each task she brought good humor and fierce advocacy. She had a spectacular shock of white hair from a young age, and a smile that dazzled and persuaded. Molly was an accomplished gardener and an avid birder who loved life, and was loved by the many artists she helped and supported. She was a masterful cook who loved great food. Her soft spot was always for a kind dog; her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren. Longtime member of Ascension Episcopal Church, Stillwater, where her love of poetry, science, and nature enriched the lives of the people who shared the pews. Predeceased by her husband Phil Taylor, director for 32 years of the Science Museum of Minnesota. Survived by sons, John Bowen (Vicki Carlson) and James Bowen; and daughters, Missy Bowen (Camile Baudoin), Anne Bowen LaFianza (Javier LaFianza); and by grandchildren, Jeffrey Bowen, Gregory Bowen, Mariana LaFianza and Joshua LaFianza. Her family plans a celebration of life when the pandemic allows. Condolence notes may be sent to The Family of Mary Ellen Taylor, c/o BRADSHAW, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd, Stillwater MN, 55082.