Fin’es Scott is a textile artist who has been working out of her studio in Seattle for over 20 years. Her tapestries feature abstracted Black women placed in a floating, celestial background. The soft lines and meandering stitching create an inviting image, one which in material and philosophy represent Black joy and the vital need for rest. ATA hosted Fin’es’s work most recently in the 2023 annual showcase Black Art in the Sun. You can see some of her work now on her webpage (https://finesscott.com/). In my interview with Fin’es we dig into her artistic themes and how her life practices influence her art.
Fin’es Scott, ‘Muses‘, textile art, cotton, ink, crystal, metal, metal leaf, 22″ x 38″, 2022.
Q: Many artists reach for art as an emotional outlet after tragedy or fortune. Others more generally see art as highly influenced by and tied to their own life events. How has your art and art making served you in these or other ways?
I love that I can apply my many years of illustration, design, sewing, and craft to a textile in a way that serves not only me but also my ancestors and my community.
I create so Black women can see themselves as celestial beings with access to nature. Resting peacefully, being joyful, embodying power without any need to express dominance, or being perceived as dangerous simply for being. I’m also working through my wording on why I call them celestial beings vs. queens or goddesses. It’s landing somewhere around what terms are the opposite of queen or goddess and how those terms are turned against women.
Q: You say that your art explores many themes which form a web that is the “antithesis of Black trauma”.Could you walk me through one of your artworks and how the subject and form emphasizes Black joy, rest, Afrofuturism, and environmentalism?
It’s not so much a web, more of a constellation or tapestry. Again, I’m still working through the concept in my wording. I want to capture the interconnectedness, beauty, and expanse that is Black joy.
All of my textiles have the core elements of Black joy, rest, Afrofuturism, and environmentalism. For a specific piece, let’s talk about Gather, which I completed this year.
You can see the joy in the colors, expressions, and the figures in community with each other. You can see the rest in the relaxed nature of their poses. You can see Afrofuturism in the vast expanse of the cosmos, which is their celestial forms. You can see the environmentalism in the vibrant florals that drape the figures and their surroundings. I’ve also shaped my art practice around getting the look I want with minimal waste. Upon completing a textile, I usually have about a sandwich bag amount of scraps for recycling so I’m thinking of environmentalism in that way too.
Fin’es Scott, ‘Kinfolk‘, textile art, cotton, ink, crystal, metal, metal leaf, 33″ x 40″, 2023.
Q: Do you have a philosophy behind creating art and curating?
It always comes back to whether it’s giving Black joy.
To make my art, I gladly abandon perfectionism. I let the sewing line wave. I don’t fret over every stitch being the same length. I keep the wonky flowers.
I love a well-made thing, but I no longer chase perfectionism, as it’s unhealthy and contradictory to what I’m trying to do with my art and my art practice. I’m still detailed, but I give myself permission for it to be great, not perfect. It’s been very liberating.
Q: Is there anything that you would like to highlight and share with the Art in the Atrium community and the larger BIPOC art community? It could be an artist or curator you admire, an event or show you are a part of, or a foundation that you’d like to bring attention to.
I recommend all ATA fam rest intentionally and give themselves grace. Setting boundaries in my practice and respecting my body and emotions are crucial. I refuse to push myself to exhaustion again.
Check out Tricia Hersey. She’s a global pioneer and originator of the movement to understand the liberatory power of rest. She speaks about soul care, not the mass-marketed term of self-care, and more, so much more. Check her out on Instagram @thenapministry.