Jazz You Can See.Circle Dance: The Art Of John T. Scott by Richard J. Powell University Press of Mississippi The University Press of Mississippi, founded in 1970, is a publisher that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi:
abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 1-578-06773-1 Years ago, I was riveted by the sight of long, colorfully painted rods juxtaposed jux·ta·pose tr.v. jux·ta·posed, jux·ta·pos·ing, jux·ta·pos·es To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. to the white columns that flank the entrance of the Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art. Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States. in Washington, D.C. The sculpture, which was commissioned by the Washington Project for the Arts for "The Blues Aesthetic" exhibition, was arresting--a jolt of energy. The artist was John T. Scott, and he remained largely a mystery to me until the publication of Circle Dance: The Art of John T. Scott. The book is the companion volume to a retrospective of Scott's work, which spans more than 40 years. It includes an insightful essay by noted art scholar Richard J. Powell that puts Scott's life and work in context, and showcases more than 90 color plates. There are two things that bring Scott's work-which includes the sculptures for which he is best known, as well as paintings, drawings and even assemblages--"together under one conceptual roof," as Powell notes. The first is Scott's sense of place. He grew up in New Orleans' Ninth Ward and has taught for all of his adult life at Xavier University (both areas of the city were devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. by Hurricane Katrina). New Orleans, Scott says, "is the place that informs what I am, what I do." Secondly, Scott describes his work as "jazz thinking," and indeed his kinetic, oftentimes colorful sculptures have an improvisational quality. He also has a jazz musician's simultaneous sense of the past, present and future, and his work draws on all of the influences that one associates with New Orleans, from southern and African folk traditions to Catholicism to race consciousness. "Scott incorporates into each project a set of genetic-like markers that ... convey the history, struggles and creative spirit of a New Orleans-born citizen of the world," Powell observes. "I would like to do with visual language what African American artists have done with gospel, blues and jazz," Scott says. "And if I can move somebody's spirit, I'd like that, too." His impressive body of work, with its depth and mastery, does just that. Jeanne Fox-Alston is the vice president/diversity for the Newspaper Association of America The Newspaper Association of America is a United States trade association that represents the country's largest daily newspapers and provides services including market research, technology education and support, minority hiring and representing publishers in Washington, D.C. . |
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