Judith Scott's Bound and Unbound Exhibition at Brooklyn Museum Showcases Over 60 Fabric Assemblages
The Brooklyn Museum showcases more than 60 pieces by Judith Scott, an artist with Down's syndrome who was predominantly deaf and mute until her passing in 2005. Her three-dimensional fabric creations, produced between 1988 and 2002, feature an untitled work from 1988 adorned with vibrant ribbons and balloons. Many pieces evoke imagery of deep-sea organisms, with a 1994 artwork drawing parallels to Lee Bontecou's sculptures. Curated by Matthew Higgs, the exhibition questions biographical narratives, focusing on her distinct perspective shaped by her communication challenges. Before joining the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California, Scott spent 36 years in an Ohio institution. This show, initially reviewed in the January & February 2015 issue of ArtReview, presents her abstractions without solely defining her by her disability.
Key facts
- Judith Scott was born with Down's syndrome and was largely deaf and mute until her death in 2005.
- The exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum features over 60 of her three-dimensional fabric assemblages.
- Scott's works incorporate found objects like twigs, shopping carts, and electric fans wrapped in fabric.
- An untitled 1988 piece uses colorful ribbons, balloons, and cream fabric woven around wire rods.
- Visual references in the works include deep-sea creatures such as manta rays and sea anemones.
- Collectors Beth Rudin DeWoody, Eileen and Michael Cohen, Pamela and Arthur Sanders, and MoMA have acquired her later works.
- Matthew Higgs organized the exhibition and previously curated a 2013 show pairing Scott with Dan Miller at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.
- Scott lived 36 years in an Ohio institution before joining Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California.
Entities
Artists
- Judith Scott
- Lee Bontecou
- Dan Miller
Institutions
- Brooklyn Museum
- Creative Growth Art Center
- White Columns
- Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
- MoMA
- ArtReview
Locations
- Brooklyn
- United States
- Ohio
- Oakland
- California
- Ridgefield
- Connecticut