Every piece of art has a story, as does every artist. And southern Minnesota artist Robert Taliaferro, Jr. has a story that proves, in the most extreme way, that people are complex.

Art is one of Taliaferro's many talents. He's an artist to the core.

"My first childhood memory, I grew up in the projects of Pittsburgh, and we grew up poor. I grew up in St. Clair Village. The place where I grew up doesn't even exist anymore," Taliaferro said. "I used to sit up there and we used to sketch and draw Snoopy and dropped Charlie Brown and all that, and we'd compete with each other."

He said his first exhibition was at age 14 at Pittsburgh's Selma Park Burke Art Center. Taliaferro has a knack for writing, too. He's an award-winning journalist with several degrees, and a reputation for service.

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