Located adjacent to the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, the Sculpture Garden features over 20 works of art on 6+ acres of the National Mall. With 6 public entrances at various points around the block, it makes for an easy diversion from wherever you are headed on the mall. We actually stumbled across it on our way back to the hotel from the monuments and some of us chose to explore the grounds. (Others of us chose to rest on the benches, while still others of us chose to climb trees, which they quickly found out was frowned upon.)
My oldest loves to both create and view art so he and I did a quick walk through while the others waited. In the center of the garden is a beautiful fountain (which turns into an ice skating rink in the winter). The shady path leads you around the fountain, and sculptures are on display along both sides of the walkway throughout the beautifully landscaped garden grounds.
The garden features 21 modern sculptures by various artists, including Joan Miro and Roy Lichtenstein. Kids seem to find modern art especially fascinating. They connect with some and think they are cool and find others just downright weird. It was neat to walk around with my son and get his take on the various works of art.
There are only two sculptures in the garden that you can sit on or touch. Scott Burton’s Six-Part Seating definitely beckons you to take a seat, and the stainless steel tree, Graft, created by Roxy Paine can be touched.
The sculpture garden is definitely worth a stroll, whether you just take 10 minutes to cut from one side to the other or 30-45 minutes to slowly explore the grounds. We actually ended up going through a second time so the other kids could enjoy it too. It offers a change of pace and scenery from the National Mall and a chance to quickly and easily expose your kids to some art. If you don’t have the time or your kids don’t have the patience to explore the museum itself, this is a great opportunity to get a taste of what the gallery has to offer.
