What is a Scrollathon?
The National Scrollathon will bring together the creative expressions of over 250,000 people from all over the country in a spectacular, collaborative, multidimensional display of American unity in the nation’s capitol. Uniting America for the Semiquincentennial in summer 2026 to an audience of over 2 million visitors.
Scrollathon® is a multimedia, collaborative creative project that brings together people from all walks of life to share their stories, hopes and dreams. Steven and William Ladd developed the idea of Scrollathon® through their own studio practice, based on hands-on use of found materials and techniques to create artworks of profound beauty and meaning.
Participants make a scroll that they get to keep.
Scrolls are made from two strips of fabric that are tightly rolled together and secured with a pin. The scrolls are then put into a Souvenir Tin that the participant gets to keep. In the lid of the tin they will write their Name, the Title of their Scroll and the Date. Then they will share those title and stories with the group.
Participants make a second scroll for the Collaborative Masterwork that may go into the Program Hosts Permanent Collection.
They take two fabric strips and roll them around a wooden dowel rod. On this dowel rod they will use markers to customize it with their initials or decorative marks, giving them permanent representation in the work.
Participants then have their photographic portrait created for a Souvenir Publication.
A Portrait mural is also printed for the Program Host so that it can be displayed alongside the Collaborative Masterwork.
Some Participants have their stories recorded for our American Storyteller series.
These videos are available on our website, on Social Media channels of the Program Host and can be displayed at the Program Host on a monitor.