Brandywine Workshop and Archives — Culture Quilt Exhibition Brochure

Page 1

Culture Quilt Large Relief Prints by

John T. Scott

February 22–April 28, 2019 The Printed Image Gallery Brandywine Workshop and Archives


Acknowledgments Published on the occasion of the exhibition Culture Quilt: Large Relief Prints by John T. Scott, selected from the John T. Scott Artist Trust and curated by Allan L. Edmunds, February 22–April 28, 2019. The exhibition, this publication and public programming is made possible through the support of the National Endowment of the Arts, a federal agency; the Philadelphia Cultural Fund; Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; The Friends of Brandywine; American Picture Framers; Minuteman Press­-Philadelphia; and the generosity of the John T. Scott Artist Trust.

Copyright © 2019 Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Philadelphia, PA All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced for mass distribution without the written permission of the publisher. A downloadable free copy for research or instructional purposes may be obtained at www.brandywine-art.org Published by Brandywine Workshop and Archives 730 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 www.brandywineworkshopandarchives.org In association with the John T. Scott Artist Trust All illustrated works of art copyright © John T. Scott Artist Trust Layout by Deja-Nicole Stokes Printed by Minuteman Press-Philadelphia Artwork photography by Gustavo Garcia, Cohibri Photography Workshop


Table of Contents Introduction — Allan L. Edmunds

—3

Coming to Grips with the Culture Quilt — John T. Scott

—6

Line, Space and Spherical Thinking — Susan Stedman

— 17

Artist Biography

— 22

Exhibit Checklist

— 25

Free Public Programming

— Back Cover


Far Right: John T. Scott, Untitled Head #1, 5" x 6," wood block print, ed. 40, 2003 Right: John T. Scott, Untitled Head #2, 5" x 6," wood block print, ed. 40, 2003


Introduction John Tarrell Scott (1941–2007) strongly believed that “culture is the quilt that holds humanity together” and expanding our vision to become more culturally inclusive was a central focus of his teaching. Scott believed that all culture that is respected was handed down through teaching. In all that Scott, the artist, created across several media, the theme of learning about and sharing cultural traditions and diverse histories were evident. This idea even extended to his understanding and use of processes that were handed down as part of a craftsman’s toolkit:calligraphy, casting, metalsmithing and engraving skills. Scott mastered several of these creative skills as he saw their intrinsic relationship in religious, musical and artistic traditions, and they added to the integrity and quality of what he was producing. Still, this hands-on approach didn’t deter him from also appropriating new tools and technical processes when needed. Scott’s subject matter was constantly driven by personal experience, curiosity and continued research into his own African American heritage, especially musical ─ jazz and gospel ─ and the connections he saw with other cultures. As someone who knew Scott over many years and conversations about art and life, much of his artistic vision was composed through the lens of New Orleans and its distinct social and multi-faceted cultural fabric. In addition, his commitment to family and faith anchored his sense of caring and community, serving as a role model for which he was widely recognized. In Scott’s world, the message that inclusive education was essential and that historical discovery and remembrance could be embedded in his visual narratives was imperative. The artist carefully and purposefully selected titles for his artwork, which conveyed the sense of importance that the quality, instructive content or themes could open minds and foster wider respect for his art and its history with New Orleans. Scott’s teaching and art (and his speeches and writings) were his way of passing down traditions, honoring ancestors and documenting the socio-cultural knowledge and other influences that guided him. Scott has gifted us a massive amount of paintings, drawings, collages, prints, sculpture and ceramic artworks, and documentation of exhibits, museum collecting and public art throughout the country. And, like many others, I benefited from his counsel and friendship. He was a staunch supporter of Brandywine over three decades as a senior artistic advisor and contributor to its permanent art collection.

3


In presenting the Culture Quilt exhibition in the Printed Image Gallery, we seek to highlight one aspect of Scott’s diverse art, large relief printmaking. The exhibition places the spotlight on a process indicative of a resurgence of interest in traditional printmaking processes, where new tools, technology and materials have combined to make possible more expansive formats and creative manipulation. For example, laser-cut metal and wood plates and a wide range of power tool options along with new inks and durable plate materials result in printed plates being reclaimed for elements in constructed, mixedmedia paintings and sculpture. As an artist-educator, Scott was a long-time, key member of the faculty at Xavier University in New Orleans where his name graces a major art building. Even though he embraced new technology and creative tools, Scott, the teacher, would also emphasize the creative potential in refuse or discarded materials and the virtues of making art from the commonplace things around one that were accessible, not expensive, yet useful in making complex and highly attractive artwork. This interest is a dominant aspect of teaching to low-income students or in tightly-budgeted art programs. As a trainer-mentor of future college professors and public school teachers, especially in disadvantaged school systems, Scott noted how such practices can ultimately lead to more innovative instruction and increased teacher satisfaction. Always looking to expand the viewer’s conception of what the subjects represent, Scott used these extra large prints as a metaphor for power, extreme grace, and measuring the struggle and scale of achievements associated with New Orleans and its culture quilt. Scott’s prints break through the perceived barriers of scale in printmaking and limits of black and white to offer texture and strong contrast in degrees not too dissimilar to the environment where he grew up. Not shown in the exhibition is a number of small relief prints (see below) which follow the theme of Urban Warriors, a series of portraits exploring the Crescent City’s history of slavery and resistance. Other works memorialize key events and celebrate heroic figures ─ the African, French, Creole heritage, Jazz musicians. Many of these prints were created in the artist’s living space during his Artist-inResidence at Brandywine, which exemplified his constant need to create. In an interview with Daniel Piersol, Curator of Prints and Drawings at New Orleans Museum of Art, and sponsor of Circle Dance: The Art of John T. Scott, a 2006 retrospective of the artist’s more than 40-year career and lifetime association with New Orleans, the artist shares his influences and the universal ideas they inspired.

4


“I don’t think art is about art; I think it is about everything else. So it’s like putting all these ingredients in and hopefully they are arranged in such a way that anybody can relate to them. You know, I’d like some guy in Taiwan that doesn’t speak English to be able to see a piece of my work and respond. Not necessarily to the New Orleans culture that is there, but the human language that is there.” The opening of the retrospective at the New Orleans Museum of Art was preceded a few short months by hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact on the lives of people, which forever changed the fabric of the Crescent City. While the city’s residents were and are a resilient people, the loss of life, property and community was catastrophic and caused major (permanent) disruptions in the city’s fabric. By the time Katrina struck the city, Scott was already being prepped for a major surgery, but had to be evacuated to Houston, Texas, which delayed his treatment and where he ultimately would pass away in 2007. The large wood reliefs, executed between 2002 and 2003, were among his last completed works and, inadvertently the imagery ─ people and deconstructed buildings and streetscapes ─ suggest Scott’s vision of the actual reality of the threat that has hovered over New Orleans from its earliest beginnings as a port city below sea level. The over-sized figurative works, Mayann, Louis No. 2, Waiting at the Station, along with streetscapes Dangerous, Planning for Urban Renewal, Cathedral, Foodstore, Yesterday’s Doorway, and Old House evoke interpretations of the many voices and ever-changing rhythms of life in the city, which Scott knew before Katrina. In some respects, Scott’s monochromatic compositions pay respect to less glorified and colorful aspects of Orleans’ culture ─ the “Quilt” that binds people together, by preserving strong traditions, embracing the history and learning from the struggles of the past to know that a rebirth was inevitable. In addition to Scott’s legacy as a teacher, New Orleans is home to many of his most significant public art sculptures. (Philadelphia is graced with a major piece, Philly Joe Jones, which hangs in the interior lobby of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia). In recognition of Scott’s many professional achievements, the Louisiana Art Commission in 2018 dedicated the John T. Scott Center for Humanities in downtown New Orleans. Scott, through his long association with Brandywine as a visiting artist, advisor/supporter, and now through the generosity of his estate and family, as an exhibitor, represents a growing line of connected individual legacies that build on the impact of creative collaboration and its strong role in connecting artists and communities. Allan L. Edmunds Founder-President Brandywine Workshop

Far Left: John T. Scott, Toussaint, 6" x 5," block relief, ed. 40, 2003 Far Center: John T. Scott, Storm’s Coming #2, 12" x 9," block relief, ed. 10, 1992 Far Left Center: John T. Scott, St. George, 12" x 9," block relief, ed. 20, 1992 Left Center: John T. Scott, Storm’s Coming, 12" x 9," block relief, ed. 9, 2003 Left: John T. Scott, Storm’s Coming #3, 12" x 9," block relief, ed. 10, 1992 5


John T. Scott, Old House, 60" x 40," ed. A/P, woodcut print, 2003

6


Coming to Grips with the Culture Quilt Culture is the quilt that holds humanity together, without respect and understanding for our own, and that of others, all we have is a worthless stack of rags. The fact that one buys a calculator, does not make one a mathematician, no more than buying a horn makes one a musician. Why is it then that when someone buys paint and brushes, we immediately want to call him or her an artist? I am concerned about the myopic sight we’ve developed concerning our visual culture. If culture is the quilt that holds humanity together, we must begin to expand our field of vision to become more culturally inclusive. The worldview that Brandywine is developing is the model that we should be following. To see the work and working process of artists from Brazil, the Caribbean, from across the States and other places in the world enriches all of us. Being able to meet the artists and watch them work is the best type of education for our young people. In this situation they can see the results of training and growth in the skills demonstrated. Young people are constantly bombarded through various publications of the “collectible value” of “selftaught” artists, the “naturally talented” as if one makes art from training or skills vacuum. This concept has a way of diminishing the value of formal training as if it was something to be avoided. We must understand that there are those who have made a contribution as self-taught artists. But it is a small fragment of what we do creatively; and I do not dismiss its value nor validity. But we cannot allow young people to become further alienated from the process of education. I’ve even heard students around the country say things about not wanting to lose their natural styles by studying in a formal education setting. When we ignore the worth of trained professionals, in any discipline, as having less relevance than the self-taught, we have diminished the value of training or education both formal and informal. Cultures that we respect from around the world are those where traditions are passed on through teaching, that reflect long traditions where preparation was expected, respected and essential, to ensure quality in all things produced out of regard for self and the community. You do not produce the rich bronzes, beautiful woodcarvings, fundamental weavings and sens-uous wrought iron without skills developed over a long period of time. Understanding the nature of materials and their qualities does not arrive through intuition, but from serious study. As a culture we expect to seek to attain quality, but many times we are willing to settle for much less. The notion that most skills in the visual arts can be developed without tutoring, mentoring and teaching, formal or informal, is an insult; yet, it has been repeated so long and so often, that we’ve come to believe it as fact.

7


The discipline gained through art training gives a sense of structure, inside of which to grow. Should we provide or accept any less from our young people today? I don’t think so! The great works of art we admire most were the results of hard work and years of disciplined development. Exposure to the art making process is one essential way of reintroducing our young people to the concept of discipline, which they so desperately need in today’s world. It would give them a positive sense of the idea of discipline, and one through which they could measure the success of their efforts. When books concerning the arts are to be used in schools, we need to make sure that they reflect contributions by all fairly and accurately. We should not expect, nor accept, anything less. We must be willing to spend some time in support of our culture and teach our young people to do likewise. Again, without respect and understanding, our cultural quilt is but a stack of useless rags. Culture is a renewable resource that has served us well, for it is constantly evolving and renewing itself. If we are not willing to spend the time to nurture and encourage it among our young, who will? If we don’t do it now, when? One good way of assessing your commitment is to look at the art in your immediate environment; what’s reflected there? It should not exclude the art of others. Likewise, make sure it includes art that reflects the spirit that defines you. We must not let our schools treat visual culture [creative] arts as a frivolous reward for young people doing well in other courses of study; nor should it be considered entertainment. It should not be taken lightly as a useless body of information, from which one receives a “good” grade for just showing up. The source material used to develop courses of study must be inclusive. These programs must be developed with a sense of academic quality. Like any other scholastic program we must also insist that those teaching our young people are qualified to do so. Art programs cannot always be the last implemented and the first sacrificed. From an immediate point of view, we should remember that it was our culture that gave us the strength to survive. It is also important to realize that the cultural contributions we’ve made over the years have influenced cultures around the planet. The saddest thing about all of this is that we take our culture completely for granted. It is time that we begin to take ourselves seriously in a holistic manner. It is not just our words, music and dance that we must see in the holistic village of cultural contributions. We must understand [that] our love for sound gave us magic with words and music. Our love of motion gave us a vocabulary of dance. It was the richness of our visual instincts and awareness that first allowed us to develop the ability to weave, sculpt, draw, paint, to alter and enrich our environment, for ourselves and others in a unique manner. These visual contributions are usually ignored by most and belittled by many. But this does not diminish their value.How do we change this and move to the next level?

8


We must begin to educate our communities using everything at our disposal: schools, community centers and most importantly places like Brandywine, of which we need more. Brandywine educates young people through its programs. It exposes them to master artists from many different cultures, and contributes to the production of quality prints of the highest possible professional level. We must not allow Brandywine to be stereotyped as a place that produces good “black” prints; it produces “good” prints! The other side of the coin is that we cannot allow the adjective “black” be used to diminish those things that are done, any more than being “Spanish” diminished the contributions of Picasso. We must also realize that “black” does not describe subject matter in art; it only describes the spirit core from which this art springs. The visual vocabulary of art is as wide as the spectrum and equally bright. It’s a quilt that wraps and warms the soul of all. Like any good product, without being seen it tends not to exist. We must provide forums, in which the art once produced can be seen, especially for our young people. A great deal of their efforts usually remain invisible. When the work is shown, we must make efforts to see it, support it, and, where possible, buy it. Artists do not work for a hobby; like other professionals they too need support and their efforts should be respected. We should support scholarship programs for young people to attend Brandywine and other such places to develop their talents and skills. If we say the arts have worth, then we must use our efforts and money to support them. We must help young people understand that the introduction of new technologies does not invalidate established technologies nor traditional skills. They should however work in harmony to move us to the next level of quality. Developments in electronic media are part of the everyday world of young people; it should be viewed as another tool resource to be used in a creative manner. We must ensure that the programs that we develop are inclusive of new technologies. And we must ensure that the equipment and support systems needed are made available to reinforce them. Somehow when we think of art, the term technology does not follow. We must change this misconception. Our youth must not be misled into believing creativity operates without information and technology. History has taught us that there was an enormous fear on the part of the older artists of the Renaissance that the introduction of oil paints would destroy the art of fresco painting. But fresco painting did not die; to the contrary, the art of painting was enriched and expanded. We must not let our young people in the arts be excluded from new technologies by stereo-typing any more than we will let the “self-taught” stereotyping limit their development in a well-trained environment. It is also important that those young people who have no intentions of becoming artists have the opportunity to be exposed to the arts as well. They too have much to gain from the experience.

9


So many people see the visual arts primarily as a product oriented process. To the contrary, it should be viewed as a process of creative thinking and problem solving that may result in an object or product. Many of the young people that I have taught over the years were not art majors; but they gained a new respect for the discipline, once they were involved in the process. Without this exposure, we will create a society of culturally deprived people who will evaluate everything on the basis of “how much does it cost?” The interactive community of Brandywine reinforces the notion of the creative community, the village. One does not work alone in producing prints of this magnitude. The mutual contributions of staff and artisans to the success of an artist’s project cannot be overstated. Brandywine constantly exposes young people to artists of innovation, such as Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt and others. It is doing its part to ensure the cultural richness of the future, the quilt. It is up to us to do ours to make sure these efforts are not allowed to die. John T. Scott Brandywine Workshop Lifetime Achievement Award Gala Speech September 4, 1996

10


John T. Scott, Cathedral, 60" x 40," ed. 6/10, woodcut print, 2003

11


John T. Scott, Balcony, 60" x 40," ed. 1/10, hand-pressed woodcut print, 2003

12


John T. Scott, Storm’s Coming, 60" x 40," ed. 5/10, woodcut print, 2003

13


John T. Scott, Yesterday’s Doorway, 60" x 40," ed. 1/10, woodcut print, 2003 14


Left: John T. Scott, Waiting at the Station, 79” x 48,” ed. 4/4, hand-pressed woodcut print, 2002 Right: John T. Scott, Louis No. 2, 79" x 48," ed. A/P, hand-pressed woodcut print, 2002

15


John T. Scott, Mayann, 79" x 48," ed. A/P 2, hand-pressed woodcut print, 2002

16


Line, Space and Spherical Thinking Line and Space In many of John Scott’s prints, drawings and sculpture line and space are central elements. They are key and perform many different functions activating, defining, describing. The large woodcut prints exhibited in Culture Quilt create powerful impressions in theme and narrative as well as through the force of line. The power of the carved lines give us a sense of the strength and remarkable skills of the artist’s hand and use of his tools. He carefully executes his carving, controlling the thickness and depth of lines in Mayann, paying attention to the edges forming lines where dramatic shadows and illumination meet, shaping forms and giving weight to the figure. Densely-filled compositions such as Dangerous are made up of a dazzling complexity of lines, delicate to bold, thin to deep, light to dark. In carving he also is responding to the inherent characteristics and grain of the wood. In the vivid portraits, Waiting at the Station and Louis No 2, Scott chose to emphasize the impact of his hand, making recognizable tool marks and lines on the wood’s surface. He described, in comparison, one of his bold experiments carving in wood: “I didn’t want my ideas to look facile…It dawned on me that the only time you can have control over anything is when you realize you don’t have control. So I chose the chain saw. I wanted to give up the facileness that I know I have with tools to get at a combination of material and tool that was not that compatible and not that easy to control.” [Stunda, 2004] In the full spectrum of Scott’s lifetime of abundant work, line also plays a central role in his sculpture. Large-scale public commissions as well as smaller sculptures in metal, wood, and ceramic illustrate his linear emphasis. Many of his sculptural compositions are carefully conceived and constructed around the interaction of line and space, depending on the sculpture’s position, the angle of the light, shadows cast and in the instance of his kinetic works, illustrated here, responding to the effects of currents of air. We can imagine how much he enjoyed the interplay of each section of his three-dimensional constructed compositions situated indoors and out-of-doors in parks, buildings, and river shorelines where they create dynamic, continually shifting lines in space. Spherical Thinking Excelling in his mastery of materials, tools and skillful craftsmanship Scott, an inspiring educator and artist, made his expectations and dedication clear: “Understanding the nature of materials and their qualities does not arrive through intuition but from serious study.” A teaching artist at Xavier University for forty years he motivated generations of students, some who became educators and artists, to look deeply and thoughtfully, learning from his mastery and growing their capacity to develop disciplined skills. His practice and his art brilliantly affirm “one good way of assessing your commitment is to look at the art in your immediate environment” and “expand our field of vision.” “Likewise, make sure it includes art that reflects the spirit that defines you.” [Brandywine 1996 Gala Speech] New Orleans was the primary lens through which he discovered and interpreted his environment in a myriad of ways, as vividly portrayed in the Culture Quilt exhibition’s large relief prints, such as Balcony and Foodstore.

17


He reminds us that “one’s consciousness should seek to expand and absorb all that it touches…to expand itself and become involved in its environment.” [Edwards-Tucker, 38] Devoted to the values of an “inclusive education” which enables us to learn from shared cultural traditions, he stated his conviction that “culture is a renewable resource that has served us well…it is constantly evolving and renewing itself.” [Gala Speech] Emanating in part from early lessons he credited learning from his father’s skilled carpentry and his mother’s creative embroidery, his lifelong journey in art-making and mentoring embody his dedication to these values. His art reveals the inclusivity he taught. It informs of his lesson: to embrace traditions among diverse cultures and be curious and receptive to exploring new developments in a variety of materials, technologies and media. Experimentation, improvisation and play were vitally important in his creative thinking, process and solutions. He underscored the significance of process, not product, at the heart of his orientation. “I don’t have to contrive some system of connecting two things that don’t seem related because I understand the relationship….If you can imagine that all your ideas, past, present and future are all interconnected like points of a glass globe, and you are suspended in the middle so that if you look up, you understand down because they are connected, and as you move forward you understand backwards because they are always connected. I refer to that as jazz thinking, or spherical thinking. Jazz musicians are always in the ‘now’ while you’re hearing it…aware of where things have been and have an unbelievable anticipation of where they are going. “Making another musical analogy he spoke about his own fluency working in his studio concurrently in calligraphy, printmaking, painting, collage, sculpture and drawing by describing how the experience parallels that of a conductor who simultaneously hears all the instruments in the orchestra collectively as well as individually. He acknowledged that music and musicians contributed to his philosophy and approach to space, especially in terms of silence between the notes. He pointed out that in his kinetic sculptural work, for example, his ample use of space with line plays on shifting movement. In the early 1980s Scott was engaged in several projects that generated new creative developments. During the summer of 1983 he was invited by sculptor George Rickey to take advantage of a six-week residency grant at the artist’s Hand Hollow Foundation retreat in upstate New York where Scott could focus intensively and explore new avenues in his own work, sculpture in particular. There he further investigated the use of materials such as steel, aluminum and wood in new three-dimensional configurations that utilized the dynamics of tension, gravity and balance. Rickey and other artists pursued these dynamics in their sculptural work; however, Scott’s sculptures are highly recognizable and uniquely his own. His kinetic constructions are notable for their exuberant playfulness, delicate balance, and colorful use of painted components. Thematically many are linked in interconnected series, with titles such as Urban Totems and DiddleyBow. Soon after his residency, two 1984 sculptures, illustrated, were shown at Boston’s HarrisBrown (aka Liz Harris) Gallery, in solo exhibitions with the same titles as his series, attracting appreciative new audiences and critical acclaim for the artist. This wider recognition

18


beyond New Orleans led, in 1986, to Scott winning his first major public commission installed in Boston’s Ruggles Street transit station. Suspended from the station’s barrel-vault ceiling his Stoney Brook Dance, made up of large brightly painted oar or paddle-like metal aluminum tubing, rhythmically floats above creating shadows in motion, dancing in response to wind currents. Scott spoke about

John T. Scott, Shango’s Necklace, 19" x 10" x 6," painted brass, steel, wood (flagstone base), 1984; collection: Liz Harris, photograph: Marla Mossman

John T. Scott, Take the A Frame, 27" x 36" x 8," painted brass, steel, wood (flagstone base), 1984; collection: Liz Harris, photograph: Marla Mossman

his sculptures in terms of the graceful movement of a dancer and referred to the colorful paint as a sculptural element enhancing the dance. Coinciding with his ’83 residency, the idea of the DiddleyBow series sprung from research when Scott was preparing for I’ve Known Rivers installation for the Afro-American Pavilion, 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, New Orleans. He discovered in African mythology a source for making sculptures: hunters using the wooden side of their bows and changing the tension on the string to create a:

19


“libation of sound to the soul of the [killed] animal. So I started making bow-shaped sculptures. What dawned on me was any line between two points has all the attributes of wave physics — length, frequency, and amplitude. All I had to do was attach something to the line, and I had my kinetic vocabulary. I discovered that this instrument was called the Diddlie Bow, it came to the United States through the Mississippi Delta…In Brazil it’s called Biebob.” [Stunda] Following the Exposition and the Boston transit station installations he was commissioned to execute (1989–2004) an additional fifteen large-scale public art projects in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Nashville, Kansas City and Baton Rouge. Susan Stedman

Works cited: Edwards-Tucker, Yvonne. “John T. Scott and the Black Aesthetic,” The International Review of African American Art, vol. 6, no. 2, 1984, page 38. Stunda, Hilary. “Playing it Straight, Upside-Down, and Backwards: A Conversation with John Scott,” Sculpture 2004, Vol 23 #8, International Sculpture Center, 2004. Unless noted all other quotations appear in: Powell, Richard J. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, 2005, pages 13–16

20


John T. Scott, Foodstore, 40" x 60," ed. 10/10, woodcut print, 2003

John T. Scott, Dangerous, 40" x 60," ed. 4/10, woodcut print, 2003 21


John T. Scott Awards (Selected) 1995 The Mayor’s Medal of Honor (Lifetime Achievement Award), New Orleans, LA 1995 The Governor’s Arts Award, State of Louisiana, 1995 1995 Distinguished Alumni of the Year, Mighigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 1995 1995 The Van Der Zee Award from the Brandywine Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, 1995 1993 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 1992 John D. MacArthur Fellowship, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 1991–92 The Bush Excellence in Teaching Award, Xavier University, New Orleans, LA 1989 Honorary Doctor of Humanities, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 1988 Role Model Award, Young Leadership Council, New Orleans, LA 1986 Distinguished Scholar’s Award, United Negro College Fund Public Art Commissions (Selected) 2004 Yes...But!, Louisiana State University School of Journalism, Baton Rouge, LA 2002 18th & Vine, American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, MO 1998 Tree Poem, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, Nashville, TN 1997 Prayer Meeting, University of Houston, Houston, TX 1997 Urban Quartet, Monark Towers Building, Atlanta, GA 1996 Monument for Children, Council for Young Children, Woldenberg Park, New Orleans, LA 1996 City Dance in Three Movements, International Concourse, Atlanta Airport, GA 1996 Riverspirit, Port Authority Building, New Orleans, LA 1994 Spiritgates, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA 1993 Five Rings for Philly Joe, Convention Center Building, Philadelphia, PA 1992 Poydras Street Dance, Uptown Secondline, 1515, Poydras Building, New Orleans, LA 1989 Stoney Brook Dance, Ruggles Street Station, Boston, MA

22


Solo Exhibitions (Selected) 2005 Circle Dance: The Art of John T. Scott, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA 2003 Powder Blue Circle Dance, Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, LA 1999 John T. Scott, The Tubman Museum of African American History, Macon, GA 1997 I Remember Birmingham, Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 1995 The Sculpture of John T. Scott, University of Southeastern Louisiana, Hammond, LA 1993 Spiritgates: Paintings and Sculpture, Galerie Simonne Stern, New Orleans, LA 1990 Diddlie Bow Series, Stoner Museum, Shreveport, LA 1984 Diddlie Bow Series, Harris/Brown Gallery, Boston, MA Group Exhibitions (Selected) 2004 Sculptor’s on Paper, Carroll Gallery, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 2003 Gropius Master Workshop: John T. Scott, Huntington Museum, Huntington, VA 2001 Treasures from the Amistad Research Center, Tulane University, New Orlean, LA 2000 Contemporary Kinetics: Calder and Beyond, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA 2000 Reflecting on the Past to Illuminate the Future, Savannah State College, Savannah, GA 1999 Jazz: A Montage of a Dream, American Jazz Muesum, Kansas City, MO 1999 Seeing Jazz: Artists and Writers on Jazz, Hunter College of American Art, Chattanooga, TN 1998 B eyond the Veil: The Art of African Americans at the Century’s End, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Ithaca, NY 1998 Sam Gilliam & John Scott, The McIntosh Gallery, Atlanta, GA 1997 S eeing Jazz: Artists and Writers on Jazz, International Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 1996 B lock Prints in the Americas, Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 1995 T he Listenting Sky: Inaugural Exhibition of the Studio Sculpture Garden, The Studio Museum, Harlem, NY 1995 Terms of Endurance: Living Legends in African American Art: Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence and John T. Scott, Amistad Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 1994 S ources: Multicultural Influences in Contemporary African American Art: John T. Scott, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Denise Ward-Brown, Joyce J. Scott, and Melvin E. Edwards, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD 1994 D iverseworks: Diez Años de Grabados de Taller Brandywine, Juan Carlos Castagnino Municipal Art Center, Mar del Plata, Argentina

23


Group Exhibitions (Continued) 1991 N ext Generation: Southern Black Aesthetic Tour, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Univeristy of Florida, Gainesville, FL 1989 The Appropriate Object, J. B. Speed Museum, Louisville, KY 1989 African American Abstractions in Printmaking from the Brandywine Workshop, California Afro-American Museum, Los Angeles, CA 1988 M onotypes: Doyle Gertjejansen, Richard Johnson, Robert Warrens, John Scott, Edith Baker Gallery, Dallas, TX 1987 M asters of Color, Robert Hull Fleming Museum, Burlington, VT 1981 Invitational ‘81, Longview Museum abd Arts Center, Longview, TX 1978 W orks on Paper: Southwest 1978, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX Works Written by John T. Scott “Arts Are Essential to Life.” Sunday Advocate, May 4, 1986 “Quality: Who Defines It and How.” Connections Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 5 (June 1989) “Remembering a Friend.” Arts Quarterly, January/February/March 1989 “Urban Ibegi: Portfolio of Works by john Tarrell Scott.” The International Review of African American Art, vol. 13, no. 3 (1996): 13–17

24


Checklist Balcony, 2003 Hand-pressed woodcut print 60" x 40," 64.5ʺ x 45.25,ʺ framed Edition 1/10

Storm’s Coming, 2003 Woodcut print 60ʺ x 40,ʺ 64.5ʺ x 45.25,ʺ framed Edition 5/10

Cathedral, 2003 Woodcut print 60ʺ x 40,ʺ 64.5ʺ x 45.25,ʺ framed Edition 6/10

Waiting at the Station, 2002 Hand-pressed woodcut print 79ʺ x 48,ʺ 84.5ʺ x 53.25,ʺ framed Edition 4/4

Dangerous, 2003 Woodcut print 40ʺ x 60,ʺ 45.25ʺ x 64.5,ʺ framed Edition 4/10

Yesterday’s Doorway, 2003 Woodcut print 60ʺ x 40,ʺ 64.5ʺ x 45.75,ʺ framed Edition 1/10

Foodstore, 2003 Woodcut print 40ʺ x 60,ʺ 45.25ʺ x 64.5,ʺ framed Edition 10/10 Louis No. 2, 2002 Hand-pressed woodcut print 79ʺ x 48,ʺ 84.5ʺ x 53.25,ʺ framed Edition A/P Mayann, 2002 Hand-pressed woodcut print 79ʺ x 48,ʺ 84.5ʺ x 53.25,ʺ framed Edition A/P 2 Old House, 2003 Woodcut print 60ʺ x 40,ʺ 64.5ʺ x 45.25,ʺ framed Edition A/P Planning for Urban Renewal, 2003 Hand-pressed woodcut print 40ʺ x 60,ʺ 45.25ʺ x 64.5,ʺ framed Edition 1/10

In addition to the above prints, Brandywine will place on display a number of small relief prints created by Scott during his many visits to Brandywine, which he left for the permanent collection. These prints will be available for viewing by appointment. If wishing to purchase any of the limited edition prints in the exhibition, please inquire as to the availability, framed or unframed. Due to the large scale of each work, framing and shipping will be at an added premium. Also color prints produced by Scott during his residencies at Brandywine will be available for sale. These prints can be previewed by going to www.brandywineworkshopandarchives.org and search Prints For Sale. Friends Membership discounts will apply.

25


Free Program Activities Friday, February 22, 2019 Opening Reception, 5:30–8:00 PM Wednesday, March 6, 2019 ArtistNConversation with Susan Stedman and Allan L. Edmunds, 6:00–7:30 PM. Wednesday, April 3, 2019 ArtistNConversation: “Above and Below” panel discussion about new technology in relief printing, 6:00–7:30 PM. Wednesday, April 24, 2019 ArtistNConversation: with Alexis Nutini, Jose Ortiz-Pagan and Gustavo Garcia, 6:00–7:30 PM.

Above: John T. Scott, Planning for Urban Renewal, 40" x 60," ed. 1/10, hand-pressed woodcut print, 2003 Front cover: John T. Scott, Cathedral (detail), 60” x 40,” ed. A/P, woodcut print, 2003


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.