Woven Scroll

Completion: 2023

Location: Cabarrus County Courthouse, NC

Description: Woven Scroll evokes a long quilt being unrolled, a tapestry in the process of being woven, and a scroll being unfurled. This double-gesture of unfurling and weaving together is a rich metaphor for learning, knowledge, and inclusive justice. The sculpture not only reinterprets the scroll as an ancient symbol of justice, but it also refers to the craft of quilting. Quilting has come to symbolize the union of African and European traditions in a unique manner - as union, rather than a separation, of two, often contrasting or forcibly separated cultures and traditions. This idea has resonance to North Carolina and Cabarrus County, connecting people and place in a powerful sculptural gesture. 

Featuring hundreds of columns individually hand-wrapped with colored aluminum wires, the verticality suggests how thread is spooled onto bobbins used in weaving. Woven Scroll merges past and present, reinforcing the weaving together of the old and new Courthouse buildings and connecting all people as part of the community fabric of Cabarrus County.

Design Optimization/Management: METALAB

Photography: Jim Schmid