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250,000 participants from all 50 state and territories. 56 large-scale artworks made from fabric scrolls. For the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Kennedy Center invites the National Scrollathon® to build a collaborative visual art installation. Revealing the American story in all its beautiful complexity, the final artwork will be displayed Memorial Day to Labor Day, 2026 (May 26–September 7, 2026) across the Kennedy Center campus.

The National Scrollathon, led by artists Steven and William Ladd, returns following its successful Scrollathon during the 2019 REACH Opening Festival. The artists guide participants to make two fabric scrolls—one inscribed with a personal story, and one to be part of a larger artwork. The scrolls from the whole community are brought together into a wooden frame and affixed into place. The participants’ portraits are later incorporated into a photo mural and a souvenir brochure. 

Over the course of the next two years, the artists will engage communities in partnership with museums, art centers, and service organizations in all 50 states, five territories, Washington, D.C., and Native Community Regional Centers, in what is envisioned to be a spectacular, multidimensional manifestation of American national unity, bringing the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of our country together in the nation’s capital. 

Don't miss this extraordinary journey of unity and creativity.

Want to participate?

Anyone can participate meaningfully in the Kennedy Center installation, at no cost and from anywhere in the country, via the , 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.