Ten Monumental Sculptures Coming to the New York Avenue Sculpture Corridor in Downtown DC
A year-long exhibition of sculptures by Beverly Pepper opens June 18, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington, D.C. New York Avenue Sculpture Committee, in partnership with the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID), Beverly Pepper Studio and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, is proud to announce a fully realized exhibition along the expanded New York Avenue Sculpture Corridor: Beverly Pepper Ten Monumental Sculptures, a solo exhibition of monumental works by celebrated American sculptor Beverly Pepper.
On view from June 18, 2026 through June 1, 2027, Pepper’s dynamic sculptures will grace the medians along New York Avenue between 9th and 13th streets NW, celebrating the artist’s groundbreaking contributions to contemporary sculpture.
“Downtown DC is open, alive, and more vibrant than ever — and this world-class sculpture corridor is proof,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert. “For over a decade, the New York Avenue Sculpture Project has showcased the monumental work of women artists — and Beverly Pepper’s stunning sculptures carry that legacy forward. They will draw visitors, activate New York Avenue, and remind everyone why Downtown DC is the beating heart of this city.”
The New York Avenue Sculpture Project has long served as a catalyst for cultural exchange, civic imagination, and collective reflection. Since its debut in 2010, the initiative has featured four major exhibitions of monumental work by women artists: Niki de Saint Phalle (April 2010–October 2011), Chakaia Booker (March 2012–April 2014), Magdalena Abakanowicz (September 2014–September 2015), and Betsabeé Romero (September 2018–May 2021). Together, these installations have transformed the public realm inviting dialogue, curiosity, and shared cultural experiences in Downtown DC.
In this new iteration, which launches this summer, the project is now re-envisioned as the New York Avenue Sculpture Corridor, and, following the addition of new sculpture pads, now extends between 9th and 13th streets NW. This next chapter advances a bold vision for public art in the nation’s capital. It remains the only sculpture corridor in the United States anchored by a national museum, enabling ongoing interpretive partnerships and sustained engagement with public art.
“I worked closely with Beverly for many years—she was inexhaustible—physically, mentally and creatively — always, always, seeking and finding a new way forward,” said Dale Lanzone, Beverly Pepper Studio and Exhibition Curator. “Now, here in Washington, D.C., her work and her presence endures opening doors to bring old and new friends and family along for yet another adventure — still inexhaustible.”
Hailing from an era when women artists were routinely ignored, and where very few women worked in industrial materials, Pepper’s contribution is especially significant. That she managed to persevere and to thrive – with dozens of major public works and pieces in numerous international museums and private collections – is testament to her personal strength and the enduring power of her sculpture.
In Beverly Pepper Ten Monumental Sculptures, Pepper (1922–2020) returns to weathering steel, a material she helped pioneer for sculptural use in the early 1970s. Weathering or weathered steel, best known under its trademarked name Corten, is a steel alloy developed by US Steel. A famously dramatic and weather resistant medium, its exterior oxidization providing both a protective weather barrier and a rich surface of dramatic color variations. Pepper adapted this rugged material into an evolving series of powerfully expressive sculptures that have captivated audiences around the world.
The ten sculptures featured along New York Avenue showcase Pepper’s mastery of complex overlapping and intersecting curves, which push the envelope of material capability and speak to a freedom in the use of expressive forms reflective of a clear, mature vision. Each work tackles another facet of weathering steel, stretching the material’s physical tolerances and exploiting its surface dynamics.
In parallel with the outdoor sculpture exhibition, the National Museum of Women in the Arts will present Beverly Pepper: Earthworks, a showcase exhibition of work by Pepper. Beverly Pepper: Earthworks will include the inaugural installation of a film highlighting the global reach of Pepper’s land and architectural-scale works, paired with several smaller sculptures and maquettes. Challenging the perception of such work as the purview only of men, the show reveals Pepper’s ambitious approach to creating bold large-scale works in metal, as well as site specific and land art. On view from October 24, 2026 through April 25, 2027, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity for visitors to the outdoor sculpture project to gain a greater insight into the practice of this pioneering artist.
“The expansion of the New York Avenue Sculpture Corridor reflects the culmination of a dream over 20 years in the making,” said Susan Fisher Sterling, Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. “An innovative public-private partnership from the initial conception to the first installation in 2010, the project creates an exciting destination for public art that extends beyond the museum’s galleries into the surrounding arts and entertainment district. It is fitting to build on the ambition of earlier iterations with an artist whose bold approach was so expansive and monumental. Beverly Pepper was experimental, expressive, and fearless. Her inventive approach to material and scale as well as her technical prowess and deft hand with forms in space, continue to inspire artists today.”
The New York Avenue Sculpture Corridor is made possible through funding from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Council of the District of Columbia, reflecting the City’s ongoing investment in public art and streetscape activation. By weaving artistic programming into infrastructure and public space, the District continues to support Downtown revitalization, economic investment, and enhanced civic experiences.
The DowntownDC Foundation, the DowntownDC BID’s charitable 501c3 organization, is also a proud supporter of the New York Avenue Sculpture Corridor. The Foundation is working to provide support to ensure the scale and frequency of this project continues to grow in the future and has a strong, long-term strategy.
More on Beverly Pepper can be found HERE and documentation of Beverly Pepper’s work can be found HERE. More on past installations of the New York Avenue Sculpture Project can be found HERE.
About DowntownDC BID
Downtown DC is the most diverse and exciting neighborhood in one of the most important cities in the world. Here, locals and visitors find all the most thrilling experiences of DC in 140 walkable and transit-rich blocks: shopping and dining; parks, art, music, sports, theater, history; business, education and government — adding up to a bright future. Founded in 1997, the DowntownDC BID’s area includes 530 properties and is defined by Massachusetts Avenue on the north, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at Mount Vernon Square, to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west.
About the National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. With its collections, exhibitions, programs and online content, the museum inspires dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women and nonbinary artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement and social change. NMWA addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today. The collection highlights a wide range of works in a variety of mediums by artists including Rosa Bonheur, Louise Bourgeois, Lalla Essaydi, Lavinia Fontana, Frida Kahlo, Hung Liu, Zanele Muholi, Faith Ringgold, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Amy Sherald.
NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. It is open Tues.–Sun., 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and closed on Mondays and select holidays. Admission is $16 for adults, $13 for D.C. residents, visitors 65 and over, students and educators, active-duty military and veterans, and visitors with a Native / Tribal Affiliation; and free for visitors 21 and under, visitors with disabilities, and SNAP/EBT card holders. Admission is free the first Sunday and second Wednesday of each month.
James Barron Art
James Barron Art, based in Rome, Italy and Kent, CT was established in 2010. James specializes in modern and contemporary American and Italian art, as well as artists who were previously overlooked for reasons of gender, race, and education. Barron represents the Beverly Pepper Studio.