Rachel Emily Taylor

Dr Rachel Emily Taylor (she/her) serves as Course Leader of BA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, a position she has held since July 2019. She additionally maintains external examiner roles at Manchester Metropolitan University, University for the Creative Arts, and University of Wolverhampton, demonstrating her standing within the academic illustration community.

Her educational background includes a practice-based PhD in Fine Art from Sheffield Hallam University (2014-2018), a PGCert in Teaching and Management in Higher Education from Goldsmiths University of London (2014-2016), a PGCert in Heritage Research from University of Hull (2014-2015), an MA in Visual Communication from Royal College of Art (2011-2013), and a BA (Hons) in Graphic and Media Design with an Illustration Pathway from University of the Arts London (2007-2010). She also holds Senior Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy.

Taylor's research centers on how illustration functions as an investigative process and engagement strategy within heritage contexts. Her work explores the rematerialization of absent, lost, and invisible stories through illustrative practice, examining the illustrator's voice and positionality when investigating people-place relationships. She has developed significant relationships with museums including the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Bowes Museum, National Maritime Museum, and Horniman Museum through artist residencies and consultancy work.

Her publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of illustration and heritage, particularly examining how illustrators can reconstruct historical voices and disrupt traditional heritage narratives. Taylor's work bridges disciplines including museology, anthropology, archaeology, performance, and fine art, positioning illustration as a critical voice within heritage discourse.

As an academic leader, Taylor chaired the 14th International Illustration Research Symposium 'Illustration & Heritage: Sharing Histories To Draw Out Futures' at University of the Arts London in November 2024 and currently serves as co-editor for the 'Heritage' edition of the Journal of Illustration (scheduled for March and November 2026).