Educational Media Reviews Online

The documentary Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott begins in an art exhibit, where the large fiber works of Judith Scott are being admired and discussed. When we later see the artist at work it is shocking; her appearance is very different from the image our culture has of popular artists and their public personas. She has Down syndrome and can neither hear nor speak. Most of the film is footage of her working in the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California. Staff there provide some history and some description of her creative process, but overall, her disabilities and the circumstances of her life are explained in rather veiled terms, with little detail.

Judith Scott’s story illuminates what were our society’s attitudes about the disabled a generation ago. Her deafness went undiscovered for many years, and was mistaken for profound retardation. She spent most of her life in an institution for the developmentally disabled. When her twin reached middle age and reflected on her own life story, she decided it was imperative to move Judith to a group home close to her so that they could share the rest of their lives. Judith was scheduled to attend the Creative Growth Art Center as part of her activities and it was there that she blossomed as an artist.

It is fun and inspiring to watch Judith so focused on her work and clearly enjoying this later stage of life. She developed a flamboyant appearance, with colorful head scarves and accessories, which raises questions about how and why we develop personal style and use it to communicate with the world about who we are.

Because Judith is so creative and compelled to express herself through art, her story is instructive about the nature of human creativity, human intelligence and the meaning of art. The interview with her sister also sheds light on sibling relationships and the fact that middle-age sends many people into reflecting and changing their lives. Students and faculty studying psychology, art, art therapy, occupational therapy and developmental disabilities will all find that Judith’s story pushes them to look at their work in a new way.

Additionally, the film will be useful to art students and faculty learning about “Outsider Art”, which seems to have an increasing presence in contemporary popular culture.

Finally, any non-profit trying to expand its services to include an art center will no doubt find that this film is very persuasive and will help them recruit supporters.