Judith Scott

Judith Scott (May 1, 1943 – March 15, 2005) was an Outsider artist. She was a fraternal twin to Joyce Scott, and she was deaf and had Down syndrome. She worked at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California.

Upbringing

Judith Scott spent her first seven and a half years at home with her twin sister and older brothers. Although the developmental gap between the two girls was apparent, "the parents consciously sought to treat these youngest members of the family alike. They were often dressed identically, and they were encouraged to participate in every experience or event on equal terms" (MacGregor, p.44). These rich childhood years would contribute much to Judith’s later life.

Education

When it was time for the girls to start attending school, Judith was found to be "ineducable," not even qualified for the class for children with learning disabilities. Her deafness unrecognised, she was thought to be profoundly retarded. Consequently, on medical advice, her parents placed Judith in the Columbus State Institution (formerly the Columbus State School) an institution for the mentally retarded, on October 18, 1950. This separation had a profound effect on both twins.The records from Judith Scott's first few years at the Institution tell us that she had an IQ of 30 (based upon oral testing before her deafness was recognised). For this reason she was denied any training opportunities. Deprived of her twin – her childhood translator and interpreter - Judith became severely alienated, and behavioral problems soon surfaced. Her Clinical Record states that "She does not seem to be in good contact with her environment. She does not get along well with other children, is restless, eats messily, tears her clothing, and beats other children. Her presence on the ward is a disturbing influence" (MacGregor, p. 50). This is a reflection on the care-givers, who for almost 30 years never realised that Judith was deaf.In 1985, Joyce Scott had an epiphany during which she realized that Judith could be near her if she became her sister’s legal guardian. After considerable struggle Judith moved to California, a state where all mentally retarded citizens have the right to an ongoing education.

Art

On April 1, 1987, Judith Scott started going to the Creative Growth Art Center. In her first few months at the center, Judith was unexceptional with paint. She scribbled loops and circles, but her work contained no representational imagery, and she was so uninterested in creating it that her sister was considering ending her involvement with the program.

Some months later Judith casually observed a fiber art class conducted by visiting artist Sylvia Seventy, and using the materials to hand, spontaneously invented her own unique and radically different form of artistic expression. While other students were stitching, she was sculpting with an unprecedented zeal and concentration.

Her special creativity was quickly recognised, and she was given complete freedom to choose her own materials. Taking found objects (often stealing them from other people at the Center) she would wrap them in carefully selected colored yarns to create diverse sculptures in many different shapes. Some resemble cocoons or body parts, while others are elongated totemic poles. Many of her works also feature pairs; Scott's experience as a twin is essential to her work.

Scott's work has become immensely popular in the world of outsider art, and her pieces have been acquired by several museum for their permanent collections. Her pieces now sell for $15,000 or more at auction.

Judith died peacefully in her sister’s arms at the age of 61, having outlived her life expectancy at birth by almost fifty years.

Resources

* MacGregor, John. "Metamorphosis: The Fiber Art of Judith Scott." Creative Growth Art Center: Hong Kong, 1999. ISBN 0-9673160-0-6.

External links

* [http://www.creativegrowth.org/gallery/featured.html Creative Growth Art Center artist profile]
* [http://www.judithscott.org/ Website devoted to Judith Scott, who died in March, 2005]