Dylan Taylor

I am the Co-Founder of Chicago Mushroom Club. This has been an ongoing project of building community outside of typical capitalist bounds. We intend to cultivate a network of people with supplementary skill sets to establish a broad base of ecological knowledge. We then disseminate these niche knowledge-bases to the public for free. No academic walls, no paywalls, just humans learning together, diving into the natural world around us. Planning and hosting bi-monthly community education seminars through the means of group hikes and presentations. Coordinating festivals, educational expos, and community building events. I co-lead our educational hikes, which are always free of charge. As a duo, my wife Mead and I, are self-funding and conducting multiple mycological research projects within Chicago’s city limits. We aim to highlight the resilience of fungi in the face of human destruction and uncover fungal species previously unknown to Illinois. Collaborations; Media: Thrillist Chicago Chicago for Free Northwestern School of Journalism Panels: Northwestern University (Drama) Raven Theater Education: Northwestern University (Science) Academy for Global Citizenship UIC (consulted for startup of Mycology club) Art Galleries: Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics (Urbs in Myco gallery co-curated by CMC co-founder Mead Taylor) Foundations: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry Chicago Public Libraries Chicago Council on Science and Technology The Wild Dryad ChiTownBio Urban Rivers Research Projects: Chicago Botanic Gardens (Consulting) Graceland Cemetery (Lead) Community: Chelsea B. Sodas Four Star Mushrooms The Mushroom Block Tacos el Hongo Magico Secret Vegan Kitchen Feminist Bug Club Feminist Bird Club Chicago Artistic Alphabet Mafia Lakeview Taproom Wild Ones Northbrook Garden Club Big Psych MPLS SporeWorks Festivals: Montreal Mushroom Festival Ohio Mushroom Festival Westwind Mushroom Camp

I manage the cases of residents who live in an intermediate care facility. I also provide direct care to these residents. I am the communication line between the families and guardians of residents and the organization. I ensure adequate care is provided to our residents and advocacy on their behalf is at the forefront of my work ethic.

I provided care in a 1 on 1 home environment. I established a great relationship with my client and his family. It was a very rewarding position to work while I was getting back into college.

I provided 1 on 1 support to students in a classroom environment. This ranged from tutoring to assistance with physical tasks. I worked alongside Special Education teachers to provide adequate care for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

I left college to pursue work in Chicago, IL.