“Passing It On” panel discussion and book signing

In celebration of the installation John Scott: Blues Poem for the Urban Landscape and the recent release of Passing It On: The Art of John T. Scott, join NOMA and The Helis Foundation John Scott Center for a conversation and book signing with co-authors Freddi Williams Evans and Anna Rita Scott in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts.

During the talk, the authors will explore the life, legacy, art, and innovation of John T. Scott, a McArthur Genius Grant recipient and longtime Xavier University of Louisiana professor.

Registration is free, but seating is limited. Please arrive when doors open at 5 pm. Advance registration does not guarantee a seat. If you require special assistance, please email [email protected] before Tuesday, March 19, for access information.

This program is presented in conjunction with NOMA’s book club, which members & non-members are encouraged to attend! Learn more about the book club here, or visit the NOMA Museum Shop in person or online to browse this year’s selections.

Program Schedule

5:30–7:00 pm | Conversation with co-authors Freddi Williams Evans and Anna Rita Scott, moderated by Brian Piper, NOMA’s Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings. The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

7:00-7:30 pm |  Book Signing with the authors

About the Speakers

Freddi Williams Evans is an arts educator, independent scholar, and author of award-winning books for children as well as adults. She is a native of Madison, Mississippi and a graduate of Tougaloo College and Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel University). She is the author of Come Sunday: A Young Reader’s History of Congo Square and Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans, which received the 2012 Louisiana Humanities Book of the Year Award and influenced the city ordinance that made “Congo Square” the official name of the historic landmark. She is the recipient of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ 2024 Lifetime Contributions to the Humanities Award for her scholarship on the Congo Square site. Her picture books include: Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret, The Battle of New Orleans: The Drummer’s Story, and A Bus of Our Own.

Anna Rita Smith Scott developed a love and appreciation for art, particularly the works of John T. Scott, during her 41-year marriage to him. She was born and reared in New Orleans, where she attended Xavier Preparatory High School before earning a degree in elementary education from Xavier University. As an educator, she taught elementary grades in public and Catholic schools of New Orleans as well as religious education at Epiphany Church. Today, Mrs. Scott manages the largest collection of her husband’s work. She enjoys reading, writing, creative crafts, and spending time with her five children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.