LSU Museum of Art presents The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden, and Bechet on view October 9, 2025
on view October 9, 2025–January 25, 2026
Baton Rouge, LA – The LSU Museum of Art is pleased to announce The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden, and Bechet, on view October 9, 2025–January 25, 2026.
They were friends, mentors, and muses. They were pivotal figures in the modern art movement emerging from the southeastern part of Louisiana. They were dedicated scholars and educators. Four men, Frank Hayden, John T. Scott, Martin Payton, and Ron Bechet—artists intertwined through a series of experiences that played out over five decades. They share a common artistic language—an exploration of Black heritage imbued with private symbolism, expression, and inspiration. Hayden reflects on his deep spiritual awareness, and reverence for faith, family, and Civil Rights. Scott’s work echoes the sights and sounds of his beloved New Orleans and his Caribbean legacy. Payton reclaims scrap metal, fabricating improvised compositions of rhythmic forms tangled with African symbolism. Bechet’s lyrical works investigate the delicacy of nature and the human experience, instilled with personal connections to the heritage of place.
Frank Hayden (1935–1988), a Memphis native, studied at Xavier University before earning degrees at Notre Dame and Iowa State, later becoming a longtime faculty member at Southern University in Baton Rouge. At Xavier in the 1950s, Hayden was mentored by Numa Rousseve and Sister Mary Lurana Neely—teachers who also deeply influenced John T. Scott (1940–2007), who returned to Xavier to teach after earning his MFA. Scott inspired Martin Payton (b. 1948), who studied at Xavier and later at Otis Art Institute before succeeding Hayden at Southern University in 1990. Scott and Payton remained close collaborators, completing major projects like Spirit House in 2006. Ron Bechet (b. 1956) first met Scott at the University of New Orleans and, after Yale, taught alongside him at Xavier, where they shared a studio and deep friendship until Hurricane Katrina displaced Scott in 2005; Bechet continues to teach at Xavier today.
This exhibition highlights the sculptural works of these four modern masters. Although individually they have their own artistic voice, they share the bonds of kinship—with each learning and gleaning inspiration from one another.
The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden, and Bechet is sponsored by Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly.
EXHIBITION PROGRAMS
ABOUT LSU MUSEUM OF ART
LSU Museum of Art is supported by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President & Metro Council; and in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. LSUMOA thanks the generous donors to the Annual Fund. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. Additional support is provided by generous donors to the LSU Museum of Art Annual Exhibition Fund.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The museum is located in downtown Baton Rouge at 100 Lafayette Street on the Fifth Floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts. General admission is $5 each for adults and children age 13 and over. Admission is free to university faculty and students with ID, children age 12 and under, and museum members. Active-duty military and veterans, first responders, and their families receive free admission with ID as part of the Blue Star Museums program. Show your EBT card and photo ID at the admissions desk and receive free admission for up to 4 individuals as part of the Museums for All initiative. Museum Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.; and closed on Mondays and major holidays. Free admission occurs on the first Sunday of each month. For more information: visit www.lsumoa.org, call 225-578-3000, and follow the museum on social media @lsumoa for exhibition and program updates.
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