Judith Scott

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Judith Scott (May 1, 1943 – March 15, 2005) was a renowned American sculptor and textile artist. Born with her fraternal twin sister Joyce, Scott suffered from Down syndrome. She was also largely deaf and did not speak. Scott spent the majority of her life in a state institution. In 1984 her sister became her guardian and she began making art at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland. Scott collected found objects of all shape and size. She would wrap them, weave them and interlace them with color yarns. Never repeating the same form or color scheme and creating a material language that was her own. Scott was self-taught and considered an outsider artist. During her lifetime, she gained international acclaim and her work continues to earn critical recognition in major publications and exhibitions.

 

Workshop

Let’s transform objects into beautiful sculptural works of art inspired by Judith Scott!

1. Find an object that interests you or one that is about to be discarded. Consider it’s shape, form and size
2. Wrap the object with your yarn, string, ribbon or even torn recycled fabric pieces
3. Alternate between colors and get creative with the direction(s) you wrap the object
4. Cover the entire object transforming it into a sculpture and work of art!

Materials

  • Found object

  • Yarn, string, ribbon or all

  • Optional: recycled fabric pieces

Follow Up

What object did you choose? Why?
What materials did you end up using to wrap your object? What direction or movement did you take?
Did color guide you?
Was it more intuitive?
Did you enjoy that process?
What did you think about your object after it was wrapped? What did it become?

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“Everything radiates its own beauty and an alivenessseeks no approval, only celebrates itself. ”

- Joyce Scott

About her twin sister Judith Scott’s artwork

 
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Julie Mehretu