Perpich News
Perpich Center Selected to Represent Minnesota in Kennedy Center’s National Scrollathon
November 5, 2025
On Wednesday, November 5, Perpich students, staff, and Board members experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: they represented the state of Minnesota in the Kennedy Center’s collaborative visual art project, the National Scrollathon®, part of the Kennedy Center’s yearlong celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Similar art-making efforts are taking place in all 50 states and US territories to create 56 large scale textile artworks that will be displayed across the Kennedy Center campus, along with the photographic portraits of the thousands that helped to create them. The Kennedy Center selected artists Steven and William Ladd to create the encompassing visual art installation which will be on display Memorial Day to Labor Day, 2026 (May 26–September 7, 2026).
Steven and William Ladd introduce the project to the participants
Brothers Steven and William Ladd led three art-making sessions that included students, staff, and Board. During each session, participants created a keepsake scroll and shared the significance of the colors and design they chose with the group. Then, a photo was taken of each participant to be included in the Kennedy Center exhibition. Next, they created a second scroll and placed it in a wooden frame, to be part of a larger artwork in colors representing Minnesota, primarily shades of blue and green. The frames built at Perpich on November 5th will be combined with frames from all 50 states and US territories to create the final installation.
Casey Johnson, Front Desk Receptionist, had a great time. “The Ladd brothers brought a lot of energy that they kept up the entire time that they were here. It was fun working with the students in a setting that I do not often get to do since I work at the front desk. While I know my students, it is nice to work with them on something as fun as a large collaborative art piece, and not be behind the desk chatting with them,” Casey said.
Amanita Dahlin (Visual Arts 2027) was so glad to have the experience. “It was great! The people were really welcoming and it was fun to participate. It was amazing that we got chosen!” Amanita said.
Students placed their scrolls, representing Minnesota, in the wooden frames
“Participating in the Scrollathon was a wonderful experience,” said Sasha Visalden (Visual Arts 2026). “It was fun and engaging, and made me think more about the meaning color has on everyone’s lives.”
Siggy Gozola (Visual Arts 2027) appreciated the storytelling aspect of the project. “Scrollathon was a great opportunity to tell the community of Perpich an important part of my story,” Siggy said. “I felt included and heard when I got to tell my story!”
Mie Morimoto (Music 2026) saw value in the opportunity. “As a music student, it was really neat to have the opportunity to participate in Scrollathon,” Mie said. “It was very accessible for anyone at the school to participate in, regardless of your art department and whether you’re a student or staff member. It’s amazing how all of us were able to participate in this through Perpich.”
Vi Wiosky (Visual Arts 2027) was surprised by the event. “I originally thought that it would be a boring lecture, but in reality it was a fun and interactive event,” Vi said. “I really enjoyed the personality of the two guys. I also enjoyed the freedom of being able to put whatever I wanted in the middle of my scroll. It’s really cool to know that my name is part of such a big project.”
Meg Haley, a Perpich Board member, was moved by the experience. “Participating in the Scrollathon was a lovely opportunity for me to get an insider glimpse into the arts high school community — which I value so much as a Board member,” Haley said. “On a personal note, it was meaningful to participate in a large-scale art installation that is creating such an important tapestry–physical and metaphorical–of our national story. At a time when the divisiveness in America is palpable, it was deeply moving to add my small piece to a work that is spotlighting the unmatched beauty in the collective.”
Allegra Smisek, Executive Director, appreciated that Scrollathon took place at Perpich. “I was so proud to have Perpich represent the State of Minnesota in this historic collaborative artwork!” said Smisek. “The experience of sharing our stories made me feel more connected to our students and community. I left feeling more optimistic about the future of our country.”
Betsy Anderson, Perpich Communications Director, was thrilled this opportunity was available to the Perpich community. “The fact that Perpich Center, Minnesota’s state agency dedicated to arts education, was selected by the Kennedy Center to represent the state of Minnesota in this national art event was significant and something to celebrate!” said Anderson. “It was such a joy to have Steven and William Ladd here, to create this art together, and to know that every participant will be represented in the national exhibition!”
ABOUT THE SCROLLS:
Scrolls are made from two strips of fabric that are tightly rolled and secured with a pin. Participants make a scroll to keep that is imbued with a personal story or statement, using the meditative nature of working with their hands as an incentive for verbal and visual communication with others. Then they create a second scroll to be part of a larger artwork. The scrolls from the whole community are brought together into a wooden frame and affixed into place. Participants’ photographic portraits are later incorporated into a photo mural and a souvenir brochure.
A variety of colors could be used for the keepsake scroll
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Anyone can participate meaningfully in the Kennedy Center installation, at no cost and from anywhere in the country, via the project website, through a system that Steven and William Ladd call “National Word Ask.” Everyone is invited to share one word that expresses their hopes and dreams for America at its semi-quincentennial. Those words will be brought together into a text-based artwork that will be exhibited outdoors on the Kennedy Center campus.
SCROLLATHON BACKGROUND:
The Ladd Brothers invented the concept and title of Scrollathon in 2006 to describe collaborative projects working with found and upcycled materials that are intended to engage participants in the creative process, sharing and making both as individuals and as a group. Taking cues from the traditions of quilting bees and story circles, the Scrollathon, guided by the artists, provides participants with pressure-free opportunities to play, talk, and think—riffing on everyone’s improvisation to make art objects that are imbued with personal and universal meaning. During a Scrollathon each participant makes a scroll for themselves, and contributes one or more to a large, communal sculpture that captures the essential nature of the workshop.
A photo was taken of each participant to be included in the Kennedy Center exhibition
What began in the artists’ hometown of St. Louis quickly grew to include special education students in Brooklyn, individuals in the custody of the NYC Department of Corrections at Rikers Island (the results
became part of an installation in Brooklyn later that year that was featured in Architectural Digest), and diverse communities across the United States. A 2014 Scrollathon at the Parrish Art Museum, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, involved over 1,100 participants in a single community for the first time, sparking the movement that has reached thousands more and created monumental artworks
celebrated by the communities where they are installed.
Ensuing Scrollathons have included a large-scale permanent installation in Downtown Brooklyn in 2015 and a 35-foot painted bead installation for the Atlanta Mercedes Benz Stadium completed in 2016.
Projects such as these challenged the artists to explore the possibilities of using small, intricately crafted objects to build massive installations, and expanding the interactive dialogue to increasingly large numbers of community participants. In 2019, the Ladd’s engaged with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, veterans, and others affected by gun violence in Parkland, Florida, promoting community healing. During a two-week festival celebrating The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ REACH expansion, 750 D.C. residents made scrolls for a 20-foot artwork permanently installed in the new River Pavilion.
Using humble materials, fostering an environment of love and encouragement, Scrollathon continues to reach people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, promoting reflection, healing, joy, and accomplishment, and giving each participant the pride of being part of something greater than themselves.
The May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation and the Acronym Fund are both generous donors to the National Scrollathon.
Steven and William Ladd demonstrate the process for creating the scrolls for the Kennedy Center exhibition
ABOUT STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD:
Steven and William Ladd are New York-based brothers and artists “known for vibrant, highly textural artwork that evokes childhood memories,” working at the intersection of design, applied, and fine art. William discovered beading at 15 and Steven began making clothes while studying at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. After moving to Brooklyn to collaborate, their formal artistic partnership began in 2000 while creating accessories that attracted interest from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, which included their work in a major exhibition. Selected for the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt’s Design Triennial in 2006, the Ladd’s artworks began representing people, places, and memories of their shared childhood, an evolving theme throughout their practice.
Skilled in the traditions of “handwork” of sewing and beading, the artists are always seeking materials to incorporate into their work and are especially attuned to the notion of adaptive reuse. The discovery of a warehouse full of cotton webbing and belt findings in what is now The Invisible Dog Art Center provided them with the impetus to not only delve deeply into the physical aspect of these materials, but also as a pathway toward a broader artmaking process. Working face to face across a table, the brothers wound webbing into scrolls.
Throughout their careers, Steven and William Ladd have developed an interactive and hands-on approach to artmaking that melds fine art, design, and craft with their dedication to interactive collaboration, education, and community engagement. In all their work, the importance of meaningful content couched in a visual language of beauty has guided them from small scale, intimate sculptural objects to what has now become an ongoing, inclusive, and embracing project under the umbrella of what they call Scrollathon. The content of their individual artworks is often drawn from their own shared memories and experiences, and it is through this lens that they have developed a way to encourage others to do the same, based on the idea of a scroll as an ancient form of communication.
After creating a keepsake scroll, volunteers shared the significance of the colors and design they chose with the group
ABOUT THE KENNEDY CENTER:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, attracting millions of visitors each year to more than 2,000 performances, events, and exhibits. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center is one of the nation’s busiest performing arts centers dedicated to providing world-class art, powerful education, and outstanding memorial experiences to the broadest possible constituency. Across all its offerings, the Kennedy Center is committed to increasing accessible, inclusive opportunities for all people to participate in, and learn through the arts, including more than 400 free performances each year and a variety of Specially Priced Ticket programs for students, seniors, persons with disabilities, and others. On September 7, 2019, the Kennedy Center inaugurated the REACH, its first-ever major expansion. Designed by Steven Holl Associates, the REACH provides visitors with new opportunities to interact and engage with the Center as the nation’s premier nexus of arts, learning, and culture. On September 8, 2022, the Kennedy Center unveiled Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy, a new 7,500-square foot permanent exhibit exploring Kennedy’s presidency and his commitment to the arts. To learn more about the Kennedy Center, please visit www.kennedy-center.org.
TO VIEW THE WEBSITE, VISIT HTTPS://WWW.SCROLLATHON.COM
