Originally from Scotland, Charles Hepburn Scott graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 1909. He moved to Canada, and became the art supervisor for Calgary schools from 1912 to 1914. He then moved to Vancouver to be the art supervisor at the Vancouver School Board from 1914 until 1925.

As the long-standing director of the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts from 1926 until 1952, Charles H. Scott is among the most important artists in Vancouver's history. He was instrumental in bringing Jock Macdonald and Fred Varley to Vancouver to teach, and saw the school through the depression and the Second World War.

The Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (VSDAA) opened on October 1, 1925, marking the beginning of formalized art education in the city. Founded through the efforts of the British Columbia Society of Fine Arts, the school was a response to Vancouver’s rapid growth and the need for cultural institutions. Under its first director, Charles H. Scott, and with prominent faculty including Jock Macdonald and Fred Varley, the VSDAA quickly became a centre of artistic activity. A vibrant social and intellectual community grew around the school, supported by figures such as John Vanderpant and Harold Mortimer Lamb. In 1933 the school was renamed the Vancouver School of Art, and over the decades it continued to expand, eventually becoming Emily Carr University of Art + Design. In 2025 the institution celebrates its centenary, a testament to its enduring role in shaping the cultural landscape of Vancouver and beyond.