The Invisible Dog Art Center presents an exhibition by artists Steven and William Ladd.

The exhibition traces their 16 year history of their community engagement program Scrollathon which was born of their belief in the extraordinary capacity of every human being and the awesome power of community.

The Scrollathon is a series of workshops led by the Ladds that brings the community together to share their stories and engage in the creation and presentation of world class art. The result is permanent artwork made of the collective contributions of the community.

During a Scrollathon each participant becomes a Community Artist by making a textile work of art to keep that they associate with a personal experience. They share that experience and the title of the work with their peers, demonstrating how contemporary art can become a lens for personal storytelling. Then they collaborate on a work of art, a Collaborative Masterwork, and have their portrait created for a permanent record.

Since 2006, by partnering with hundreds of stakeholders and institutions, Scrollathon has served over 10,000 people across the United States. And now the Ladds are embarking on their most ambitious efforts yet: the National Scrollathon. This nationwide initiative offers meaningful engagement to over 33,000 people of diverse ages, backgrounds, and abilities through the creation and presentation of monumental Collaborative Masterworks in all 50 states, 5 territories, and Washington, D.C., plus 10 Native Community Regional Centers—all in celebration of America’s 250th Birthday in 2026.

Steven and William Ladd are proud to launch the National Scrollathon: New York Edition at The Invisible Dog. This engagement with the community will endure as part of New York’s contribution in the National Scrollathon’s effort to illuminate America’s story through collaboration and the presentation of world-class art.

This exhibition is made possible, in part, with the generous support from the Sarasota Art Museum, Shari and John Hicks, Elaine and Bill Crouse, Mary Ann and John Meyer, Huisking Foundation, Ernie Kretzmer and the Kretzmer Family Charitable Foundation, Elizabeth Moore, John and Charlotte Suhler, May & Samuel Rudin Family Foundation Inc, Lucien Zayan, Andrew Zuckerman, Keith Monda & Veronica Brady, Nanette Crist, Barbara Meixler, Barry Durst, Andrew Seidman, Charlie Zizzo, Michelle Oldani, Chris Finlay, Deborah Hoch, Thomas Whalen, Matilda McQuaid, Bonnie Korn, Elaine Kleinmann, Patricia Moushey, Michal Balcerzak, Laura and David Ayres, Charles and Barbara Ladd, Christine Knoke Hietbrink, Terrie Sultan, Lynn Stirrup, JT Whittington and Mary Schreck

Steven born 1977, William born 1978 from St. Louis, Missouri. 

William discovered a passion for beading at 15 and Steven began making clothes while studying at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. After moving to Brooklyn, NY to collaborate, their formal artistic partnership began in 2000 while creating accessories that attracted interest from the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which acquired a handbag  for the permanent collection. Selected for the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt’s Design Triennial in 2006, the Ladds’ artworks began representing the people, places, and memories of their shared childhood, an evolving theme throughout their practice. 

Lucien Zayan, Director of The Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn, sparked a career turning point in 2009 by commissioning a chandelier fashioned from buckles and trimmings discarded in the basement of his space. Lucien’s donation of a treasure trove of cast-off materials fueled four solo exhibitions at the Center  plus the growth of their public engagement program Scrollathon, now a core component of the Ladds’ artistic practice. 

The Ladds’ first museum solo exhibition was in 2011 at The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, with support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, titled 9769 Radio Drive—the address of their childhood home. Two major museum solos followed in 2014: Function+Fantasy, Mingei International Museum, San Diego, featuring  400 objects and including a major early work acquisition for its permanent  collection; and Mary Queen of the Universe,  at the Parrish Art Museum, NY, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, featuring 50 new works and titled after their grade school, then at Miami’s Museum of Art + Design, opening during Art Basel Miami Beach. Saint Louis Art Museum (Scouts or Sports?) and SCAD Museum of Art (Blood Bound) exhibitions followed. Scrollathon’s artistic and community engagement efforts have become increasingly central to Steven and William’s endeavors, evidenced by many prior achievements as well as the dreams resulting in the far-reaching National Scrollathon initiative from 2022-2027. As noted under Scrollathon Background, several spectacular and large-scale commissions are permanently displayed: in a commercial development in Downtown Brooklyn (Fabulous Phil), at the NFL Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center, and at The Kennedy Center’s new River Pavilion. Furthermore, it is being recognized that the Scrollathon experience has tremendous capacity to reach community participants in a powerful, uplifting, and healing manner, all while an amazing collaborative artwork is being created. Thus the Ladds were invited to create a Scrollathon for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and others in the wake of gun violence in Parkland, Florida, (Power of Art), as well as for a dual-city/museum partnership exploring accessibility and sensory experiences in Atlanta and Dallas (Speechless: Different by Design.) 

Additionally, the brothers’ exhibition dedicated to the stories and experiences of their work with those in custody of the NYC Department of Corrections at the Invisible Dog Art Center, The Other Side, was toured by the Commissioner of Corrections, after which the Ladds were commissioned to create an exhibition on Rikers Island, illuminating the humanity of those incarcerated and working there. 

Beginning with its 2022 launch, the National Scrollathon aims to unite Americans across our nation by way of 66 Scrollathons and related activities in celebration of America’s 250th Birthday in 2026.

www.stevenandwilliam.com

Instagram: @stevenandwilliam

Exhibition Date: March 4, 2023 - April 16, 2023

Location: The Invisible Dog

51 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY

Gallery Hours

Thursday–Saturday: 1–7pm

Sunday: 1–5pm

Admission: Free