Caffeine

Joyce J. Scott, artist

born 1948

Caffeine, 1994–1999

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: glass; mixed media; beads; wire

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 44 x 51 x 25 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 17 5/16 x 20 1/16 x 9 13/16 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: Friends of the Art Museum

Accession number: 2000.0074

On display: Michaelis Gallery

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
This sculpture is about the demon of caffeine and its control of people who partake of it. Caffeine, in the guise of a blue-mouthed yellow serpent, beguiles and tempts as it rises from the Luzianne coffee can like the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. One figure straddles the caffeine demon, while another has a cup of spilling coffee instead of a head.

Joyce Scott often uses humor as a device to tackle difficult social issues such as addiction, racism, incest and violence. She comes from three generations of storytellers, quilters, basket weavers, and blacksmiths and draws on that heritage in her creative process. She uses time-tried techniques - needle and thread or wire - to string the beads that make up her sculptures. Primarily known for her bead sculptures, she also works in textiles, sculpture, jewelry, printmaking, installation and performance.