Public Commissions

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National Scrollathon: Michigan

2025

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Commissioned by: Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Medium: Fiber, rubber bands, pins, ink, glue, paint, wood
Dimensions: 60 × 36 × 1 in. (Collaborative Masterwork); Signature Plate, each 8 1/2 × 11 in.
Photograph: Courtesy of the artists
Created in: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Artists’ Registration Numbers:
Collaborative Masterworks: 2025.168.001–2025.168.016
Mini Portrait Mural: 2025.169.001
Signature Sheet: 2025.170.001
Portrait Mural: 2025.171.001
Exhibition History: National Scrollathon: Michigan, Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2025. Coordinated by Eli Neiburger and Sherlonya Zobel

Commission Overview
Commissioned by the Ann Arbor District Library, Home was created as Michigan’s contribution to America’s Cultural Project, part of the National Scrollathon initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. On August 10, 2025, 86 participants from across Michigan came together for a day of artmaking, reflection, and storytelling. Each created a scroll-based artwork expressing personal meaning, which collectively formed a Collaborative Masterwork, Portrait Mural, and Signature Plate representing the state.

Artistic Approach
Participants crafted scrolls from textiles and a wooden dowel customized to represent a story or moment of personal reflection. Together, the assembled scrolls became Home, a visual metaphor for Michigan’s community. The layers of color and texture capture the shared humanity of those who gathered, embodying the state’s spirit of creativity.

Engagement and Impact
The Michigan Scrollathon brought together a wide range of community organizations, including cultural centers, mentoring programs, and educational groups. The program provided space for connection and introspection, encouraging participants to see their individual voices reflected in a shared creation. The collaboration also extended the Ann Arbor District Library’s mission to engage the public through creative programming.

Context and Legacy
The Michigan Scrollathon forms part of the National Scrollathon, a historic series uniting communities across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories. Each Collaborative Masterwork—including Home—will be featured in the culminating exhibition at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2026, marking the nation’s Semiquincentennial through a collective expression of unity and creativity.

Community Partners:
African American Cultural & Historical Museum; Byte Club (AADL Fan Club); Coolidge-Wagner Anthology of Recorded Poetry; Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library; Jim Toy Community Center; Jewish Family Services Ann Arbor; MITAI Michigan Taiwanese-American Institute; PALMA Proyecto Avance Latino Mentoring Association; Peace Neighborhood Center

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