Steven and William Ladd: National Scrollathon

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University is Alabama’s host for artists Steven and William Ladds’ country-wide, collaborative visual arts project, the National Scrollathon, which aims to unite Americans in celebration of America’s 250th Birthday in 2026. Pieces produced from all 50 states will go on view at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, in 2026. Their latest collaborative masterwork, Made for More, is currently on view at The Jule Museum through Sunday, July 7. 

Over five days, approximately 450 community members, with and without prior art-making experience, rolled strips of fabric into scrolls. Each participant contributed one scroll to a six-by-six foot collage, Made for More, that will represent Alabama at the Kennedy Center, while they kept the other scroll to commemorate the event. Invited groups were of all ages, ethnicities, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

In Made for More, trimmings span shades of green, ranging from mint to lime to emerald, a nod to Alabama’s timber industry, its national forests and growth in sustainability. Artist intention is turned toward the nation and observing 250 years since the ratification of the Declaration of Independence and the many stories that make up America. The wooden centers are personalized with initials, small drawings and messages. Each community artist is photographed, with those images assembled in a mural to accompany the piece when on view. Video interviews with select attendees provide oral histories for a multimedia display.

Since 2006, the Ladds and their team have worked with more than 17,000 community artists to blend fine and conceptual art with hands-on educational collaboration. To learn more about becoming a hosting partner, visit the National Scrollathon’s website. 

*Images above: (2) Photo mural of community artists from Alabama. (3) A young girl representing the Poarch Band of Creek Indians selects trimmings for the National Scrollathon.(4) Artist William Ladd shares one of his and his brother’s mantras with Scrollathon community artists: “Spend your life doing what you love.” (5) Community artists select two trimmings of their scroll to create what the artists call a personal artifact. (6) As artist Steven Ladd looks on, a pair of boys share the story behind their personal artifact created during the Alabama edition of the National Scrollathon. (7) A community artist from the College of Liberal Arts Braveheart organization shares a personal story. (8) Students from Auburn City Schools select shades of green for the collaborative masterwork, Made for More, during a Scrollathon workshop. (9) Completed scrolls for the collaborative masterwork are placed in wooden frames.