“Saying my grandmother’s quilts are sheet music is more than a slick description. I discuss strip weavers of [western] Africa, their ability to improvise rhythms, and how the hits just keep a-coming through my mother and me. After this research, I admitted I was a player in a much bigger picture.” —Joyce J. Scott
A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I saw Joyce J. Scott’s exhibit Walk a Mile in My Dreams at the Baltimore Museum of Art and I was blown away by how expansive her work is. Every time I thought I found the last room, I’d turn the corner and there would be at least two more. Her work spans multiple decades and much of it explores motherhood, ancestral legacy, generational trauma, racism, and sexism through fiber, performance art, beads, and glasswork. Though her work carries the weight of such heavy topics, many of her pieces feel light, cheeky, and playful1. She chose the brightest and shiniest materials she could find to transform her ideas into deeply spiritual pieces and there was so much pleasure and revelry in her art.
True pleasure cannot exist without joy and Scott’s work explores pleasure and joy through all of her mediums, including her performance art/comedy show, The Thunder Thigh Revue. Through sensual dance, costumes, and even a fake cooking show, Joyce J. Scott and Kay Lawal-Muhammad used food and sex in humorous ways to engage with their audience, exploring how the messages society tells us about both food and sex make us act on our uncontrollable desires for either of them.
Joyce J. Scott and Kay Lawal-Muhammad understood that the ways society polices our bodies and projects shame onto the things that please us keeps us from living full lives and they used humor to break the spell, if only for the duration of their performance. Mars conjunct Uranus in Taurus is here to do the same.
Mars in Taurus reminds me of a careful driver who wants to get us where we’re going safely and at a leisurely pace. With Mars in Taurus, our drive becomes focused as we’re able to slow down and take in the scenery as we go by. Like Joyce J. Scott’s lifelong artistry built on the acclaimed quilt-making skills of her mother, Elizabeth Talford Scott, and her mother before her, Mars in Taurus understands that taking your time to create a solid foundation for your work or calling ensures its longevity for years to come. Rushing the process prevents us from being able to root our work in ways that will make it last, and with Mars in Taurus until August 25th, we have plenty of time to take advantage of this cosmic energy. Mars in Venus-ruled Taurus also wants us to slow down and invest in the aesthetics and material goods that make us feel beautiful, sensual, and luxurious. Taurus rules our morals and values, so this is not just about surface-level aesthetics, but what we truly believe in. What do you want your craft to say? How does it align with your values? What even are your values? This is a good time to identify personal strengths you want to cultivate, especially during the conjunction with Uranus, which lasts until July 30th. This is a sensual time in the sense that we should pay attention to what our senses are telling us and go after what feels good. With Uranus in the mix, be prepared to discover new pleasures and interests. Uranus brings forward-thinking and unconventional energy to our pleasure-seeking, so this is a great opportunity to work through any inhibitions or shame that hold us back from letting our freak flags fly and engage with the people who match them.
Herbal Ally: Damiana
“Big Mama’s got it, too fine, fine plus. So big and the butt’s SO wide, the world bows under her weight. SO indigo, her shadow feels competition. Midnight calls from mock beaus too highstyle for daylight rendezvous, too hungry to abstain. This babe is bumping. SO totally MISS THANG that the traffic lights pop out—traffic jammed. She’s jamming. mama’s BIG!” —Joyce J. Scott
If you’re looking for somebody to match your freak, look no further than Damiana, or Damiana Mama as a friend of mine likes to call her. Joyce J. Scott’s beaded sculpture, Big Mama, reminds me of Damiana’s energy. She has a bold, peppery scent and her flowers sit in a shroud of leaves with her bright, yellow petals on full display. Just like her cousin, Maypop aka Passionflower, she’s a head-turner and she knows it. Damiana has historically been used as an aphrodisiac for good reason and flower essences made from her flowers can help us release shame and work through any traumas or blockages around our sexuality. Damiana encourages us to reclaim our power and to be bold and daring as we seek our pleasures, just like Mars and Uranus in Taurus.
The fact that her mother named her Joyce is so apt. Talk about the power of manifestation! She’s living up to her name with the way she’s able to inject joy into such heavy topics.
I'm so glad you got to see this exhibition! Maybe next time I'm in the area, I'll be so lucky! Also my sun and moon are in Taurus....feelin a lot of that Taurus energy lately!