Joyce J. Scott

The title of this work conjures up many meanings, from the families we’re born into to those we choose. Joyce J. Scott uses swirling blue glass beads to represent water, linking together a family with different skin tones as both sides meet in the center. To make this necklace, Scott employed the peyote stitch—also known as gourd stitch—a method of weaving beads by hand that has had a pervasive global presence, especially among Native North Americans. Scott’s process explores
jewelry beyond its function as adornment, examining topics such as racism, sexism, and stories from her African American heritage in each piece of wearable art.