Born and raised in Baltimore, Joyce J. Scott (b. 1948) is a descendant of African- Americans, Native Americans, and Scots. Three generations of storytellers, quilters, basket makers, and wood, metal, and clay workers inspire her artwork. Scott's earliest art lessons were received at home as she watched her mother, the renowned fiber artist, Elizabeth Talford Scott, create quilts using unconventional embroidery and appliqué techniques.

Educated in Baltimore public schools, Scott received her bachelor of fine arts degree in art education from Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1970. Then she moved to Mexico to study at the Institute Allende, San Miguel Allende, where she earned a master of fine arts degree in crafts. Scott has also studied the art of Native Americans, West Africans, and Central American Cuna Indians. Her work is also influenced by an appreciation of Japanese theater, East European decorative arts, the beadwork of the peoples of Africa, and American popular culture. This wide range of influences plays a crucial role in her interpretation of contemporary issues such as racism and violence, sexism and stereotypes.

In addition to teaching and lecturing nationally and internationally, Scott has received wide acclaim as a performance artist. Scott got her start as a performer living in Mexico, singing at local nightclubs. She is most recognized for her work in the satirical Thunder Thigh Review with collaborator Kay Lawall, which had its beginnings at Baltimore's Theater Project and took the Edinburgh Festival by storm in the early 1980's.

Scott's work has appeared in more than 60 solo and group exhibitions at numerous museums across the country and internationally, including, the , New York; The Baltimore Museum of Art; The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.; the Orlando Art Museum, Florida; the Renwick Gallery, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.