Kickin' It with Joyce J. Scott

June 16 - October 22, 2006
A Program of Exhibits USA, a National Division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts

Kickin' It with Joyce J. Scott is a thirty-year survey of works created between 1970 and 2003 by this multi-faceted artist. Organized by Exhibits USA, this exhibition is part of a national tour that originated in 2000 as a collaboration between the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

A person of immense versatility, Joyce Scott is a fiber artist, jeweler, sculptor, printmaker, educator, performer and installation artist. She creates objects with exceptional skill while offering her own distinctive commentary on social issues such as stereotyping, violence, family heritage and prejudice. The visual allure of Scott's art is gracefully but poignantly contrasted with its provocative subject matter, which Scott draws from historic events of various cultures as well as from her personal experiences and beliefs. If the themes of her artwork are sometimes harsh, they are leavened by her wry humor and masterful technique. Regarding her art, she comments, "I want to be confused, ignited, knocked down by my own work."

A comprehensive overview of Scott's varied and potent artistic career, Kickin' It with Joyce J. Scott comprises 60 works in diverse media including sculpture, jewelry, prints and textiles, as well as videos and photographs of Scott's performance and installation art. The exhibition is a visually dazzling and intellectually challenging display of work by an important American artist. A gallery brochure and full-color catalogue accompany the show.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will host a blog for visitors to offer their thoughts and feedback or gain more information about Scott's work. Visitors will be able to access the blog from the Museum's Web site or from a computer kiosk in the gallery. Scott will monitor the blog and post comments periodically throughout the duration of the exhibition. She will visit the Museum as a Hot Shop Visiting Artist for a three-day residency June 16 – 18, 2006. Her residency will conclude with a Conversation with the Artist at 2 pm. on Sunday, June 18 in the Museum Theater.

About the Artist

Born in Baltimore in 1948, Scott draws inspiration from her Scottish, Native American and African heritage. She is a descendant of three generations of basketmakers, quilters, and wood, metal and clay workers. Her passion and skill formed early in life as she watched her mother, renowned fiber artist Elizabeth Talford Scott, craft exquisite quilts. Scott's signature element is her beadwork, but she also incorporates glass, ceramics, cloth and metal into her designs.

Scott earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in arts education at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1970 and a Master of Fine Arts in crafts in 1971 from the Instituto Allende in San Miguel Allende, Mexico. She is active in arts education and has received many national and international awards, including those of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation in 1995 and Anonymous Was a Woman in 1997.