Art on the Mall: The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

April 2012 - Marla Prather, curator and head of the department of 20th-century art, National Gallery of Art. On May 23, 1999, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted the completed National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on behalf of the nation. Designed by landscape architect Laurie D. Olin of Olin Partnership, the Sculpture Garden was given to the nation by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. In this podcast recorded on September 19, 1999, curator Marla Prather explains the history and evolution of the 6.1-acre Sculpture Garden, highlighting the site's historical significance in Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for Washington, DC, the 1974 construction of the fountain, the 1991 transfer of jurisdiction of the Sculpture Garden site from the National Park Service to the National Gallery of Art, and the selection and installation of the garden's 17 original sculptures.