American Planning Association: Using Public Space to Expand Storytelling on the National Mall

American Planning Association / by Dina Walters / Published August 28, 2023

New exhibit aims to increase representation by telling important stories of the nation.

Interview with Marcel Acosta, Executive Director of the National Capital Planning Commission:  

The National Mall functions as a very important open space and storytelling space. Today, there are different ways to tell stories on the Mall, museums, permanent memorials, and First Amendment activities. Still, we thought that temporary public art, as a complement, protects the open spaces of the Mall. These installations would not be there in perpetuity, but provide opportunities for artists and sponsors and other folks who want to tell their stories, to raise something of importance that they want the rest of the nation to know. That's the genesis of Beyond Granite. Behind the six art pieces you see in today's exhibition, there are many other stories that could be told in temporary form over time.