Joyce J. Scott: Artist of vision, kickin' it with the old masters

New Crisis, The, Jan/Feb 2000

"Art can be a life force. That's why so many people in other cultures integrate it into everyday use. " ,Joyce, J. Scott

Artist, Joyce Scott was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland in 1948, a descendant of African Americans, Native Americans, and Scots. Three generations of storytellers, quilters, basket makers, and wood, metal, and clay workers inspire her work.

Scott's ancestors from the Carolinas were artisans who made objects out of necessity and out of a deep need for personal expression. Her mother's grandfather was a blacksmith who also made brooms and sweet grass baskets. Both of her grandmothers and maternal grandfather were quilt-makers. Her paternal grandfather was a woodworker who made decorated canoes. Although Scott is a formally trained artist, her earliest art lessons were received at home watching her mother, the acclaimed fiber artist Elizabeth Talford Scott, create quilts using unconventional embroidery and applique techniques. Scott soon began fashioning doll clothes from her mother's scraps, the first indication of her own creative impulse. Their only collaborative quilt, Monsters, Dragons, and Flies, 1982, is a testament to their relationship. Through her own work, Scott hopes to pass on what she has learned from her ancestors to her audience.

Educated in Baltimore City public schools, Scott received her bachelor of fine arts degree in art education from Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1970. Then she moved to Mexico to study at the Institute Allende, San Miguel Allende, where she earned a master of fine arts degree in crafts. Scott has also studied the art of Native Americans, West Africans, and Central American Cuna Indians. Her work is also influenced by an appreciation of Japanese theater, East European decorative arts, the beadwork of the peoples of Africa. and American popular culture. This wide range of influences plays a crucial role in her interpretation of contemporary issues such as racism and violence, sexism and stereotypes.

Scott still lives near the neighbor where she grew up, seeing herself as a quasi-role model for area young people. She is as interested in contemporary culture as it exists on the streets of her urban neighborhood, as she is in its portrayal on television and radio. She absorbs significant influences from American music-from Aretha Franklin and Motown to Hank Williams and bluegrass-and from American comedy-from Lucille Ball and Sid Caesar to Richard Pryor and Whoopi Goldberg.

Scott's interest in American and AfricanAmerican cis equaled by her fascination with world cultures. She is drawn to the way art is life and is interpreted and used by other peoples. She borrows and adapts techniques and imagery from many cultures. As she merges different cultural influences with her own distinctive way of working, she is conscious of the spirit and integrity of their origins. Her art is a dialogue with the world around her.

Visit Joyce , J. Scott Kickin' it with The Old Masters Exhibition on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art from January 23 through May 21, 2000.