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This episode Megan & Milena cover 4th century Greek mathematician Hypatia & contemporary fiber sculptor Judith, known as Judy, Scott.
Hypatia of Alexandria
I make that face, too, when someone tells me they’re in love with me.
Just a little painting of Hypatia teaching in the streets of Alexandria.
Hypatia Teaching at Alexandria, watercolour and brown ink on paper by Robert Trewick Bone; in the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut.
Above pictured is what happens if you slice a cone in spots. They make two dimensional shapes. This finding lends itself to Geometry, calculus, and astronomy. A lot of these shapes are found in nature, specifically in space. Hypatia revamped the work of Apollonius of Perga and taught her students using the literature she wrote.
Hypatia also used her knowledge, not just for academic applications, but for practical purposes as well. She designed multiple useful apparatuses, such as the astrolabe. The plane astrolabe was used for measuring the positions of stars, planets and the sun, and to calculate time and the ascendant sign of the zodiac.
The part where….well….let’s just say this is definitely the censored version; it was obviously a lot more gruesome than that.
Judy Scott
Judy is a
woman that shows up from a cross-country flight with a bowling ball in her
carry on. The way she goes about things might be a little different, but those
differences in life is what earned her international recognition for her art. Unfortunately
the path leading to that international acclaim involves 35 years of
institutionalization, societal rejection of those with Down syndrome and one
asshole dentist who we hope rots in hell.
That aside, once sparked
Judy’s creative passion could not be stifled. In her 18 years of studio
practice Judy expressed her personal narrative though mixed media fiber
sculptures. This episode we learn how she came about sculpting, who facilitated
her art making, and how even a earthquake can’t keep her from creating.
Selected Work
Mentioned this episode:
- Joyce Scott – Judy’s amazing sister, wrote the book Entwined: Sisters and Secrets in the Silent World of Artist Judith Scott
- National Association for Down Syndrome – The oldest organization serving individuals and their families, built from the tireless efforts of parents
- Creative Growth Art Center – First and longest running art studio dedicated to special needs artists, in Oakland, California
- Sylvia Seventy – Mixed media fiber artist that helped spark Judy’s sculpting passion
- In a Different Key by John Donovan and Caren Zucker – Great book on the history of autism
- Roger Cardinal – English art critic who coined the term Outsider Art in 1973
- American Visionary Art Museum – Amazing museum in Baltimore, Maryland dedicated to showcasing leading visionary artist, often those considered Outsider artists
As always, music by EeL
I really enjoyed this episode and keep it up. I remember researching Judy Scott for one of my art classes covering contemporary artists . The Visionary Art Museum is amazing and need to go back again. Megan, let’s kidnap Milena for this. I can’t comment on siblings since I only have fuzzy sibs.
Thanks Steff! I’m always game for a field trip to an art museum! Furry fluff balls can count, I love mine to death but the little guy manages to get kibble everywhere