Steven and William Ladd: Mary Queen of the Universe

The MDC Museum of Art + Design presents Mary Queen of the Universe, a solo exhibition of works by Steven and William Ladd and organized by the Parrish Art Museum. The exhibition features meticulously crafted sculpture, drawings, and prints by the fraternal collaborative team. For more than ten years, Steven and William have explored the blurred boundaries between design and fashion, fine art and craft. In a decade of working together, with a concentrated—almost obsessive—fascination with materials and process, they have forged the foundation for a rich and productive creative process from their common early childhood memories and a close familial bond.

New York-based artists and brothers, Steven and William Ladd, have dedicated the past thirteen years to collaborating on hand sewn boxes containing meticulously constructed environments related to their shared memories. Their values- Spend your life doing what you love, Be focused and disciplined, Collaborate- are embedded in their work, and indeed, in their lives.

When closed and stacked, the boxes become sculptural Towers, majestic works of art, at rest until the Towers are dismantled and contents revealed. It is often through a rhythmic and choreographed performance that the brothers open the boxes and arrange them in their landscape formations. The landscapes are often composed of found materials that the brothers have worked- sewn, beaded, scrolled, rolled, stacked- into tightly organized environments that reference memories from their lives.