Judith Scott: Untitled, 2004, fiber and found objects, 21 by 16 inches square; courtesy Brooklyn Museum and Creative Growth Art Center, Oakland. Photo by Benjamin Blackwell.
The late Judith Scott’s obsessively wrapped bundles, usually consisting of found materials bound in cloth or yarn, seem to tremble with potential energy as the overlapping fabric swaths shimmer and meld. Installed on knee-high plinths, grouped together like a reunion of long-lost family, these sculptures are on display in Scott’s first U.S. retrospective. The artist was diagnosed with Down syndrome, and her biography plays a strong role in the exhibition via wall texts. Shown alongside earlier drawings and paintings, Scott’s sculpture was produced during her 18 years making art at Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, Calif., where, deaf and mute, she would decisively push away the work at her table to indicate that a sculpture was complete. The works evince a sophisticated sense for color and arrangement; every string and length of yarn has its place.