Jan Scott, 88; Art Director Won 11 Emmy Awards

Jan Scott, an art director and production designer who won 11 Emmy awards -- more than any other woman -- has died. She was 88.

Scott, who was nominated for 18 Emmys over four decades, died Thursday at her Hollywood Hills home. She had been in declining health for several months.

Born in Carbondale, Ill., Scott grew up in Mississippi but returned to Illinois for college, earning architecture and fine arts degrees at the University of Chicago. She also studied at the Art Institute there and later at MIT.

When living in New York City, she became interested in production design and wanted to learn the business from the ground up. She started out as a carpenter and painter at the Metropolitan Opera.

Her father was not pleased, she recalled in an interview with The Times some years ago.

“He said: ‘I sent you to architecture school, and you end up being a carpenter and painter?’ ”

Her response to him was simple: “Dad, that is the way to learn.”

She started working in television in the 1950s and earned her first Emmy nomination in 1956 for a Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Her first Emmy award came in 1968 for her work as an art director for “Kismet,” which appeared on ABC. Her last Emmy was awarded in 1989 for “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” on NBC. She was last nominated in 1996.

She won Emmys for “Eleanor and Franklin” and for “Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.”

She also worked in feature films, serving as production designer for “Rich and Famous,” “The World of Henry Orient” and “Grandview U.S.A.”

Scott was a trustee and a member of the executive board of the Art Directors Guild at the time of her death.

In 2001, she was awarded the guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

She was also active in the television academy, serving as a governor in the mid-1980s. She was an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Art Directors Branch.

She is survived by a sister, Annabel Johnston.

A memorial service for Scott will be held May 4 at 11 a.m. in the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, 5230 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood.

The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Art Directors Guild Fund, 11969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604.