Meet a Fabulous Fiber Artist: Judith Scott
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this Fab Fiber Artist series as much as I've loved researching and writing it! Be sure you get caught up with our other talented artists: Nancy Crow, Faith Ringgold, Marti Michell and Rachel Clark. Today I bring you our first non-quilter. (cue *GASP*) Get ready to be inspired, because today we are talking about Judith Scott.
Photo cred: oakvillagegalleries.com
Judith Scott: Misunderstood
Judith Scott was born on May 1, 1943. So was Joyce Scott. Speaking from experience, because my mom is a twin (Jane and Judy - veeery close to Joyce and Judith), I have seen how intimate that bond is. Judith and Joyce were closely connected and instantly inseparable – even though Judith was born with Down Syndrome and mostly nonverbal.
Photo cred: textileartist.org
Growing up in a semi-rural suburb of Cincinnati, Judith and Joyce’s parents wanted both girls to be given equal opportunities. Joyce naturally gravitated to Judith’s side, making sure she always had an interpreter and advocate.
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But at some point during her early years, Judith suffered from scarlet fever, and though she couldn’t communicate it to anyone, she became completely deaf. Since her parents were unaware of this, they couldn’t figure out why Judith was so unresponsive to direction and education.
Photo cred: huffingtonpost.com
Where the Scott's lived, there was only one classroom for children with disabilities and 7-year-old Judith was unable to pass the verbally-based entrance tests, due to her still undiagnosed deafness. (This actually wasn't diagnosed until her late 30s.) The school board advised sending Judith to live in an institution.
Little Judith was separated from her twin sister and family home, and lived in an institution for 30, silent, isolated years. But she wasn’t the only one suffering.
The Bond Between Sisters
Joyce felt the separation deeply as well, and decided in 1986 that she was going to embark on the enormous undertaking of becoming Judith’s legal guardian. The process was hard, but Joyce knew that the decision was the right one. Finally, the sisters were united once again when Judith was allowed to move to California to live with her sister and her family.
Since Joyce was a full-time nurse and couldn’t be with her sister all the time, she enrolled Judith at the Creative Growth Art Centre in Oakland. The center invited anyone with mental or psychological difficulties to express themselves with total artistic freedom. Joyce described it as a very joyful place, even though it took Judith a while for her to find her voice.
Photo cred: judithandjoycescott.com
After exploring painting, sculpting and sewing without much success, Judith took a fiber arts workshop, and the entire world opened up. Judith discovered something she loved… and something she was really, really good at. She started creating fiber sculptures, and those who knew her described her early pieces as her “very first words.”
Photo cred: sfgate.com
(And this is when I pull out the box of tissues because my heart is breaking and exploding with joy at the same time!)
The Art of Judith Scott
Once Judith started creating, she didn’t stop. She worked five days a week for eighteen years straight, producing over 200 colorful, ethereal mixed-media sculptures. Sometimes she would even work until her fingers bled! Through her unique style, she processed her childhood, her years of institutionalized isolation, and her joyful self-discovery through art, never repeating a form or color scheme.
Photo cred: penccil.com
Judith used discarded materials, wrapping each with cloth or yarn, to create stunning sculptures that are, honestly, hard to describe in words. When you think about it, that seems appropriate.
My favorite way to see her work is hanging as an installation. It's hard to capture that in a photo, but this video does a great job.
Photo cred: denadadesign.com
Judith’s first art exhibition was in 1999, which coincided with the publication of the book Metamorphosis: The Fiber Art of Judith Scott by John MacGregor. The book and exhibition together propelled Judith into the international spotlight, and soon, museums and galleries worldwide were eager to display her work.
The art of Judith Scott was always highly individualistic, and brilliantly creative. No one had ever seen anything like it, and audiences were enthralled. Much of Judith’s work featured the theme of “pairs,” and being "intertwined," reflecting the deep connection she always felt with her twin sister.
Judith's Legacy Lives On
Judith passed away in 2005, living almost fifty years longer than her predicted life expectancy. She died in the arms of her beloved sister and trusted advocated Joyce, who always insisted that it was Judith who was the leader and teacher of the two.
Photo cred: judithandjoycescott.com and hyperallergic.com - "Bound and Unbound’"at the Brooklyn Museum
Judith was the first ever artist with Down Syndrome to be featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She was once considered an “outside artist,” but as she gained more acclaim, the “outsider” label was appropriately dropped and she is now revered as a contemporary artist in her own right. Her art is still included in permanent art collections around the world, including New York City, Paris, and London.
Photo cred: artslant.com
In 2006, Betsy Bayha, a San Francisco filmmaker, produced a half-hour documentary about Judith called Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott. She has also been featured in documentaries by Lola Barrera and Phillippe Lespinasse, as well as a 2009 documentary on self-taught artists by Scott Odgen.
Judith Scott’s work has been in over 75 exhibitions since her debut in 1991, and her inspiring self-expression continues to touch people around the world.
Are you familiar with the work of Judith Scott? Maybe you've been lucky enough to see an exhibit? Let us know in the comments!
Suzy!!! I love this featured artist! Thank you for sharing; I had never heard of her, and I won’t ever forget her!! ❤️
OMG, you are right she is an inspiration and tearful story also.
This is a truly inspiring story Suzy! Wow, it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing!
Wow, thank you so much for opening my eyes to Judith’s work! I’m inspired, humbled, moved… and so much more. Simply beautiful.
Wow! What a fabulous story of redemption and divine reconnection. Thank you for highlighting this dear lady. FYI. I can relate to being the less verbal creative twin named Judy.
Hahaha! But possibly the funnier twin? 😉
Hahaha. I love you!! I’ll take funny!! 😂
This is incredible. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this story. Having grown up the street from a mental institution and only miles away from another one😢 I know the kind of life poor Judith had from age 7 up which ironically today is my granddaughter’s 7 th birthday. Thankfully we live in a better world where they no longer institutionalize the misunderstood they have more qualified doctors to diagnose. God bless her sister Joyce for reducing her so her true Self could come out.
Denying any child crayons is wrong and so painful to me I still love to color. I cannot draw though. 😉
Thank you for sharing this story! I’m a special educator and am so happy to learn about Judith, her sister and the Creative Growth program.
What a beautiful story.. Tragic, redemptive, humbling, inspiring. How amazing is that Creative Growth program?? That’s the beauty of art, too, it’s a universal language that speaks so much more than verbal words can ever say. Thank you for sharing, Suzy!
What a great story! I am really enjoying learning about all these different artists!
Yes! My sister worked at Creative Growth in Oakland & I saw a large wrapped piece of Judith’s there! Wonderful!
So cool!! I’d love to visit someday.
This is such an incredible story!
AMAZING! Thank you for bringing Judith’s story to me, she truly is an inspiration. I’ll never look at creativity the same.
This is so wonderful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing these wonderful artists with us.
What a heart touching story. I always say that creative and artistic people make the world go round. So much more did Judith. Thank you for sharing her wonderful story.
Oh, Suzy, this was a tear jerker, for sure, but an amazing story highlighting the tremendous need to create and inspire.
Thank you ! This was a amazing, beautiful, and sad story
Sad and yet beautiful.
That’s a wonderful turn around – and thank goodness for the sisterly love connection.
Thank you!
If she had been born recently, her art might never have existed. She would have been in school till age 22 getting an appropriate and equal education, learning ASL or a communication device, and then a job. Perhaps she would have been discovered in an art class.
What an amazing woman. Thank you for sharing her story, I will now try to investigate further. Thank God for her sister who was not prepared to “write her off” but saw the beauty within.
Incredibly inspiring. Thanks so much for featuring this heartwarming story of love and creativity.
This is a fabulous story of love between the two sisters!
What a beautiful and inspirational story! Thank you so much for sharing this!
What an amazing lady. Love the story and fantastic fibre art. Enjoy your emails Suzy.
Judith Scott…I had never heard of her, but now will never forget her. What a haunting history but what a victorious arrival! Her art is intriguing and moving. I hope I’m able to see these masterpieces in person. Thank you so much for this series, Suzy. I have truly enjoyed each and every artist you’ve presented. I’ve done further research as well as reread your articles numerous times. Thanks!!!!
I’m so so happy to hear that! Thanks, Ronda!
Thank you for sharing the story of Judith Scott. What wonderful story of the power of love and the fact that every life has value and purpose.
Such an emotional and moving story! How beautiful that Joyce and Judith were able to be reunited and share life together once again. And how incredible and inspiring to see how Judith was able to discover and respond to the creative spirit within herself. Thank you for sharing this today, Suzy.
What an amazing story! I’m so glad her sister loved her, took her in, and found a way for her to become an artist!
“Appropriate = art speak for steal things”
That man explaining Judith’s process clearly had a deep respect for her, he could not only see her but could hear and understand her!
Should have TISSUE ALERT! As many layers to the story as her work! So happy she could have her “voice” – lesson to all of us especially for the little kids coming up, to not always tell them no, they can’t do it that way but let them bundle and flatten and wad up and pull apart and color and remove color…… Thank you so much for sharing her story with us.
Thankyou for a wonderful story. I felt I was watching a chrysalis emerging into a wonderful butterfly and really flying.
What a beautiful story…
A beautiful and truly inspiring story. Thank you for sharing! I would never have come across her otherwise. I’m so sorry – I replied to the email before realising that I could comment here!
Hi! I’m a quilter and I follow you on Instagram, but in my professional life I’m a Literacy Specialist. I’m building a summer school program using beautiful books about interesting topics, and one of the topics is artists. I found a book illustrated by Melissa Sweet (who is a phenomenal illustrator) called Unbound: The Life + Art of Judith Scott. I didn’t know anything about Judith Scott until I read the book a couple of weeks ago, and I started digging online to find pictures of her work. I stumbled on this post and I jumped for joy! I’m so glad you shared this!
The cool thing about Unbound is that it’s written by Joyce Scott and Brie Spangler and it is such a lovely tribute to a sister. I hope that you (and your readers) will pick the book up. Here’s an amazon link if you’re interested: https://www.amazon.com/Unbound-Life-Art-Judith-Scott/dp/0525648119/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21YKUU36HZTNX&keywords=unbound+the+life+and+art+of+judith+scott&qid=1684430563&sprefix=unbound%3A+the+%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1
Thank you so much!