Susan Scafati is a Visual Artist who works across Installation, Photography, and Sculpture. Her work lives at the intersection of the seen and the unseen—the physical systems that we build, such as technology and infrastructure, and the invisible forces that shape us, including rituals, rules, and collective beliefs.
Large-scale commissions include a 2-story installation in Austin Central Library windows; 111-foot installation The Long Center for Performing Arts; 4-story installation at Meta's office, and a street billboard commissioned by Big Medium Gallery.
She has exhibited at galleries and museums, including Sean Kelly Gallery, NY (curated by Cindy Sherman, Adam Fuss, Jack Pierce); Sol Mednick Gallery, PA (by MOMA Curator Sarah Meister); The Blanton Museum; The Contemporary Austin museum; Harry Ransom Center at University of Texas at Austin; Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum; Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery (Nashville, TN); Fotofest International Biennial (Houston, TX); and Co-Lab Projects’ Gallery.
Her work resides in permanent collections including Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Meta Global, Austin Central Library, and The Contemporary Austin.
She is the 2025 recipient of the Open Interval Award - supporting interdisciplinary exploration across art and science, in collaboration with CosmicAI Director, Stella Offner, and Bobby Garza of the Long Center for Performing Arts, supported by the Simons Foundation's Science, Society & Culture division. She has previously received awards from International Center of Photography, Lucie Foundation, The Photo Review, Silvermine Guild Arts Center, Austin American Statesman, Austin Chronicle, and, with art collective, Lakes Were Rivers, Critic’s Picks (Artforum, Nashville Scene), Best Museum Show (Austin Critics Table Awards), Idea Fund Grant (Andy Warhol Foundation). She was a grant award recipient for 7 years from the CORE Cultural Funding Program (Austin, TX). She was selected by The Contemporary Austin to be the museum’s 2019 Contemporary Print Artist — a recognition that highlights outstanding artists and commissions a print for their collection.
Scafati’s work has been featured on the covers of Austin American Statesman, Austin Chronicle, Tribeza, Austin Woman; in Artnet, Artforum, Harry Ransom Center magazine, Blanton Museum blog, Glasstire, Sightlines, CODA Magazine; in an international multimedia campaign for Kay Jewelers, and a Black Pumas music video. Her art and writings have been profiled in books, including “Unruly Visions: The Aesthetic Practices of Queer Diaspora", “Strange Pilgrims: Survey of 2015 Exhibition at The Contemporary Austin Museum”, “Swan Cycle”, “Women Photographers”, among others.
Clients have included Meta Global, New York Stock Exchange, Bloomberg News, JP Morgan, Kay Jewelers, Port Authority, among others. She has given many art talks to many museums, universities, and organizations. She is an Advisory Board Member of the Visual Arts Center Circle of The University of Texas at Austin, and previously served on the Community Advisory Committee of The Contemporary Austin museum.
