Joyce J. Scott
KEEPERS
© Joyce Scott, photo by Scott Baxter.
Joyce J. Scott’s neckpieces are the epitome of statement jewelry. The virtuosic storyteller has shared impactful personal and political visual narratives for over four decades. A descendant of artists working in craft disciplines (including her mother, the renowned quilter and folk artist Elizabeth Talford Scott), the artist found her calling in the 1970s, working in glass. Although her practice spans many media, she is best known for her blown-glass sculptures and beaded jewelry, particularly her figurative neckpieces made using the Native American peyote stitch technique. With a humble needle, thread, and thousands of tiny colorful glass beads, she weaves animated scenes that deliver big and bold messages about race,
sex, gender, and American politics.
She navigates a fine line between horror and humor to present charged yet subversive content to poke fun at stereotypes. Scott’s work is dense with imagery, prompting a closer investigation of the realities of the human condition. Her accolades include the American Craft Council Gold Medal for Consum- mate Craftsmanship (2020); honorary doctorates from the California College of the Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Johns Hopkins University; the Smithsonian Visionary Award (2019); and a MacArthur Fellowship (2016).
B. 1948, Baltimore, MD
Lives and works in Baltimore, MD
JW171
Lovers, 2007 Neckpiece with Peyote Stitch, woven glass beads, thread, wire, 13" (H) x 11" (W) x 2" (D)