Dread
Scott

Dread Scott makes revolutionary art to propel history forward. He first received national attention in 1989 when his art became the center of controversy over its transgressive use of the American flag while he was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. President G.H.W. Bush called his art “disgraceful” and the entire U.S. Senate denounced and outlawed this work.

Scott plays with fire—metaphorically and sometimes literally—as when he burned $171 on Wall Street and encouraged those with money to burn to add theirs to the pyre.  His works can be hard-edged and poignant, working in a range of media including performance, photography, screen-printing, and video.

Scott is a recipient of grants from the Creative Capital Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Pollock Krasner Foundation. He has been included in exhibitions at MoMA PS1, the Walker Art Center and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 2012, the Brooklyn Academy of Music presented his performance Dread Scott: Decision as part of their 30th Anniversary Next Wave Festival. His work is in the collection of the Whitney Museum and the Brooklyn Museum, and has been featured on the cover of Artfroum and the front page of NYTimes.com.

Portrait photo by Malik Cumbo.