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Originally from San Francisco, Jessica Scott is a self-taught visual artist, director, performer and teacher living in NYC. Her design work includes puppets, special effects, dolls, masks, installation and sculpture. Jessica received her B.A. in Political Science from NYU but has never used her degree. Her transition from community organizing into puppetry happened by way of the 2nd Iraq war in 2002, where she witnessed the visually arresting protest of Bread and Puppet Theater and decided to incorporate puppetry in future political actions. Initially only interested in puppetry as protest spectacle, an internship with puppetry artist Basil Twist enamored her of the entire craft.
In the 10 years since, as a senior builder and designer for Basil Twist, Jessica has designed and performed for most of his work including A Long Christmas Ride Home, Red Beads, La Bella Dormente nel Bosco, Symphonie Fantastique, Dogugaeshi, Hansel and Gretel, Behind the Lid, Arias with a Twist, The Addams Family on Broadway, and his current work in development, Rite of Spring. Through Mabou Mines Red Beads, Jessica has also developed a strong artistic relationship with downtown theater legends Mabou Mines. In 2008, she was the designer and puppetry director of Mabou Mine's Porco Morto and is curr the puppetry director, puppet designer and lead puppeteer on Lee Breuer’s acclaimed opus La Divina Caricatura. Ms. Scott was the assistant puppet designer and lead puppeteer for Julian Crouch’s The Devil and Mister Punch, which premiered at The Barbican Theater in 2011. Other theater credits include Mabou Mines Peter and Wendy, Lee Breuer's Prelude to a Death in Venice, and Moises Kaufman’s El Gato Con Botas, In 2010 she made her Broadway debut puppeteering in Pee Wee’s Playhouse at the Stephen Sondheim theater. Her puppetry credits on film include Bjork's music video for "Wanderlust" and Flight of the Conchord's "Demon Woman". In 2012 Jessica collaborated with painter Bjarne Melgaard to create 25 custom poseable dolls for the exhibit, A New Novel at Luxembourg and Dayan Gallery in NYC. She continued her custom doll work with Melgaard, creating a life-sized doll for the 2013 Park Avenue Armory Art Fair and Lyon Biennale. Her fabrications have also been seen on Broadway in Big Fish the Musical as puppetry associate and project manager to Puppetry Designer, Will Pike.
Jessica teaches puppetry technique to MFA students, professional actors, dancers, and toddlers alike. She has been a guest puppetry artist in Towson University’s MFA program, the William Inge Theater Festival and regional theaters nationwide.
Ms. Scott has performed her own work at HERE, One Arm Red, Dixon Place, and is currently devising her own full-length piece, Ship of Fools, as a HARP resident artist at HERE Theater in NYC.