Joseph A. Scala Jr. (Joey, Joe) led a rich and full life. Born in Queens, N.Y., Joe was interested in art from a very young age. He began his art career at age 15 as an assistant to Tatyana Grosman, cutting stones for lithographs of such famous artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Larry Rivers. Joe studied sculpture and painting with Pierre Bourdelle at Long Island University (C.W. Post College) and went on to receive his MFA at Cornell University. Joe founded Collaborations in Art Science in Technology (CAST), a non-profit organization that funded artists who used technology in their art. Joe spent the majority of his career as a professor in the art school at Syracuse University where he founded the computer art program and directed both the Joe and Emily Lowe Art and the Lubin House Gallery in NYC. He retired as Professor Emeritus. Upon retiring from S.U., Joe served as Executive Director of Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia and most recently a real estate agent with HUNT Real Estate.
Joe’s art is part of many collections, including the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. His work has been displayed in galleries and museums across the country, and his writings have been published in catalogues and anthologies. He participated in many art lectures and received numerous awards and accolades. Joe participated in such landmark exhibitions as “Some More Beginnings” in the Brooklyn Museum, and the Annual Avant Garde Art Festival in NYC.