Debra Scacco’s research-based practice spans the creation of studio works, installations, public art, curating, teaching, writing, community engagement and oral history. Rooted in personal experiences of immigration, she re-envisions the visible and invisible lines that seek to establish boundaries of access and understanding.
Her work has been exhibited at galleries, institutions and public sites internationally including MOAH (Museum of Art and History), Lancaster; Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles; Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles; LAX Airport, Los Angeles; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Viper Basel, Switzerland; Los Angeles State Historic Park, Los Angeles; Royale Projects, Los Angeles; James Cohen Gallery, New York and Patrick Heide Gallery, London. Her work is included in private and public collections including Hammer Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and CAA. Scacco’s projects have been supported by National Endowment for the Arts, Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, The Durfee Foundation, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, The Wilhelm Foundation, The Mellon Foundation and more. 1n 2019, she was acknowledged as a Cultural Trailblazer by the City of Los Angeles. In 2012, Scacco was the inaugural artist-in-residence at Ellis Island Museum and Statue of Liberty National Monument in conjunction with New Jersey City University.
Debra Scacco is Founding Director of climate-focussed creative research program Air Projects, Co-Director of Getty Pacific Standard Time project Brackish Water Los Angeles, and Co-Founder of art worker mutual aid cooperative Contemporary Art League. She is an organizing member of Artists Commit, an artist-led collective committed to a climate-conscious, resilient, and equitable future.Her efforts to lateralize knowledge and engage students in interdisciplinary research and an active studio practice include teaching at institutions including California State University Dominguez Hills and Occidental College.