Joyce J. Scott was spotlighted locally by the Baker Artist Awards earlier this year. Now the sculptor and jewelry maker is being recognized as a genius.
Scott was named as recipient this week by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious fellowship, also known as a “genius grant.” A statement from the Foundation said she is being recognized for repositioning sculpture and beadwork as a “potent platform for commentary on social and political injustices.” Among many works, she showed a necklace could provide a look at domestic violence with “The Sneak,” while Ancestry/Progeny was a mix of sculpture and glass beadwork that provided a satirical look at race and families.
The grant award is a $625,000 stipend. It’s a no-strings-attached award, but it sounds like there is at least one place to spend some of that money. The Foundation says Scott is currently working on an outdoor installation that is an homage to Harriet Tubman of “unprecedented scale.”
Scott was educated in Baltimore City Schools, and received her degree at MICA. She is represented by Goya Contemporary in Hampden.
Here’s the McArthur Foundation’s look at her work:
