Some of the art materials that will be used in the Scrollathon art event, which will take place on Saipan on Dec. 6.
THE Northern Marianas Humanities Council is inviting the public to participate in a collaborative art session with the creators of the National Scrollathon Project, Humanities Council Program Coordinator Leeani Saralu said.
According to the Scrollathon’s official website, the project is a “multimedia, collaborative creative project that brings together people from all walks of life to share their stories, hopes and dreams.”
Humanities Council Executive Director Leo Pangelinan said Scrollathon’s creators, brothers Steven and William Ladd, will be on Saipan to conduct creative workshops and interviews on Dec. 6.
During the workshop, participants will be guided through the creation of two pieces of art using strips of fabric.
The first set of fabric art will be tightly rolled and secured with a pin. Participants will engage in a reflection exercise and then name the work. They may keep the first set of art.
The second set of fabric art will be rolled around a wooden dowel and then customized with the participants’ initials or other decorative marks. This set of fabric art will accompany the national art piece displayed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, alongside hundreds of other contributions from across the nation.
The Ladd brothers may also invite some participants to contribute to the video interview portion of the installation. Participants can have their photographs taken.
Pangelinan said during the reflection exercises, participants will have conversations about identity and their sense of place within the larger American family.
The Scrollathon is part of a larger collection of art that will commemorate the Semiquincentennial of America’s founding in 2026.
Pangelinan is inviting members of the public to register and participate.
“We want a diverse cross-section of our community being represented at this event because ultimately it’s a representation of the Northern Mariana Islands at this larger exhibit,” he said.
For her part, Saralu made a special invitation to artists, cultural practitioners, the manamko’ and the youth.
“The exciting part is that it’s going to be displayed. The CNMI is going to be part of this project and people can come over and say, ‘Wow the CNMI is represented,’ ” Saralu said.
For questions, email info@nmhcouncil.org/.
To register, go to https://tinyurl.com/Saipan-Scrollathon
