9769 Radio Drive — Steven and William Ladd

Solo Exhibitions

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9769 Radio Drive
The Contemporary Museum
Honolulu, Hawaii
January 28 - May 8, 2011

Cutated by Jay Jensen

In 2009, we were featured in a cover story for American Craft magazine. Jay Jensen, a curator at The Contemporary Museum in Hawai‘i, read the article, which included a photo of our red volcanic box towers from the piece Volcano. He emailed us requesting a studio visit. On the day he came, he lingered for hours, completely absorbed in learning aboutour process.

By the end of the visit, he told us, “I think it’s time for you two to have your first solo museum exhibition.” We were stunned. The museum gave us its full 5,000-square-foot space to design an immersive, autobiographical exhibition titled 9769 Radio Drive—the address of our childhood home in St. Louis

“This exhibition was more than a show—it was a moment of transformation. It helped us learn how to design large-scale museum projects, integrate drawing and narrative, and build lasting partnerships with institutions and communities.”

This show was a turning point. We mapped the exhibition like a narrative across multiple galleries: One room held four large landscapes exploring material reuse and memory. Another displayed portraits of our family: parents, siblings, and grandparents—in box-based sculptures.

A central gallery showcased our triptych Stairway to Heaven, Stack Infection, and Ant Infestation. A final room featured our Scrollathon project and early freestanding drawings.

Another highlight was Industrial Rose Garden, a piece inspired by our grandmother’s 250-rose garden, where we learned the value of slow, shared labor.