Mercedes-Benz Stadium Scrollathon
Lesson of Encouragement, 2016. 8 x 35 feet x 6 inches. The Art Collection at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia. Papier-mâché, paint, varnish, metal, wood. Photo: SCAD for the Art Collection at Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA.
Lesson of Encouragement is Steven and William Ladd’s massive 8 by 35 foot monument composed of 10,000 handmade beads, permanently installed at the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. During the Atlanta Scrollathon the Ladds collaborated with over 900 participants from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta to create the artwork. Participants made art to keep and learned about how the artists use recycled materials. They collaborated by painting beads for the artwork and each had their portrait taken for documentation. The title was inspired by a participant who titled their personal art Lesson of Encouragement because “Steven and William gave me guidelines to follow to achieve my goal as well as being a living testament.”
Lesson of Encouragement (detail), 2017.
Community Partners
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta:
A. Worley Brown
Brookhaven
Centers of Hope at Adamsville
Jesse Draper
John H. Harland
Joseph B. Whitehead
Samuel L. Jones
Warren
Support
Lesson of Encouragement and the Atlanta Scrollathon were generously supported by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation with Cristina Grajales Gallery.
Special thanks to Anne Trouillet Rogers, Arthur M. Blank, the team at The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Catherine Sippin, Chris Holdsworth, Daniel Sanchez, Erin O’Leary, HHRM, John Paul Rowan, Laurie Ann Farrell, Lucien Zayan and The Invisible Dog Art Center, Mike Egan, Penny McPhee, Rebecca Des Marais, Savannah College of Art and Design and the team at Steven and William Ladd.
