40 for 40: Anniversary Highlights

from the Permanent Collection

Exhibition Website

Sep 24 2016 - Jan 15 2017

In celebration of The Rockwell Museum’s 40th anniversary, guest artists Steven Ladd  and William Ladd were asked to curate an exhibition that reflects their American experience. The brothers mined The Rockwell Museum’s collection in order to create 40 visual stories. Each object has been installed in a unique grouping designed to alter its original meaning, encouraging us to view them in a new light. In 40 for 40, the artistic creation is the new context rather than the objects themselves.

The Ladds are professional artists who have been collaborating in New York City for over 16 years. They have installed select pieces of their own work alongside objects curated from The Rockwell’s collection in order to better tell their American story. Universal themes such as Childhood, Home, and Ceremony will resonate with museum visitors.

40 for 40 explores the art of looking! It does not require a knowledge of art. It prompts us to filter each work through the lens of our own personal experience. This new approach to curation has never before been explored at The Rockwell. This 40th anniversary exhibition will provoke our visitors’ curiosity, ignite imagination, and challenge their perspectives. 

Steven and William Ladd: Artists' Statement

Before we are artists, we are brothers. We are based in New York City, but our large, loving Midwestern family is at the heart of our values and our work. Our art has evolved from meticulously hand-crafted fashion accessories to abstract portraits of shared memories, places, people and experiences. In them, we transform everyday materials, such as belting textiles, used fabric, beads, metal trinkets or paper, into works of art. We share a passion for recycling. We collaborate with glassmakers. We love to sew, bead, brainstorm and draw.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.

  • American
  • Various artists

Exhibition Venues & Dates