WASHINGTON, DC (July 1, 2026) A new, outdoor sculpture exhibition, “Beverly Pepper: Ten Monumental Sculptures” is now on display in Downtown DC through June 1, 2027 as part of the first-ever expanded arts median along New York Avenue.
The exhibition features ten dynamic Corten steel sculptures by world-renown artist Beverly Pepper, whose daughter, Pultizer-prize winning poet Jorie Graham, helped unveil the exhibition to the public June 18.
“Beverly Pepper redefined what was possible. Her work is bold. It’s ambitious, and it is fearless,” remarked DowntownDC BID President & CEO Gerren Price. “These sculptures that we are celebrating today demonstrate not only her remarkable artistic vision, but it also displays extraordinary technical mastery. Their scale is breathtaking. Their presence is undeniable. And beginning today, they become a part of the everyday experience of being in Downtown DC.
“Many things would have thrilled her about this installation,” Graham said of her mother. “The hieroglyphic nature of the script on the four blocks, the understanding of the alternation of the circle and the vertical, the playfulness, the fury, the insistence, the absolute and archaic stillness which seems normally unreachable in ordinary human life. All these things are palpable when you stand close to and in the midst of these works.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) Alice West Director Susan Fisher Sterling, DowntownDC Foundation Executive Director Rachel Rose Hartman, and Beverly Pepper Studio and Exhibition Curator Dale Lanzone joined Price and Pepper at the Ribbon Cutting to share with the public the significance of the exhibition.
“The Foundation is tasked with the important role of supporting and sustaining this project going forward,” said Hartman in her remarks. “We are committed to ensuring the success of this exhibition and the future of this promenade. Today kicks off the amazing new chapter of New York Avenue’s extended Arts Corridor and puts us on exciting new footing to offer this city and the world the public art that our community and our country needs.”
Art leaders, enthusiasts and private and community partners on June 17 were treated to a special VIP reception hosted by the Foundation at the Conrad Hotel with support from CityCenterDC | Hines.
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 provides 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 powerful exhibition is located in the medians of New York Avenue between 9th and 13th streets NW and includes wayfinding signage along the sidewalks of New York Avenue to help visitors learn about the art as they walk the length of the exhibit.
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.
The previous exhibitions were featured in the median between 12th and 13th streets NW beside NMWA. In this new iteration, the project is fully realized for the first time extending between 9th and 13th streets NW. This was made possible by funding to the BID from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the DC Council.
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.
The DowntownDC Foundation, the DowntownDC BID’s charitable 501c3 organization, is 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 continue 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.