• By Bsrat Mezghebe
• October 26, 2021

Trust for the National Mall Receives Major Grant for Temporary Commemoration Project

What story does the commemorative landscape of the United States tell? Who do we honor and uplift, and who do we not see in these potent symbols? The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which seeks to explore these questions, recently awarded a multimillion-dollar grant to the Trust for the National Mall (Trust) to elevate underrepresented national and local stories in Washington, DC's commemorative landscape.

The “Beyond Granite” pilot project will offer a new model for temporary commemorative works. Implemented over 27 months, the grant will support the installation of 8-10 works on and around the National Mall and in Washington, DC neighborhoods that fully engage communities and honor and reflect the diversity of the American people. Temporary commemoration offers opportunities to innovate beyond the existing memorial landscape through incorporating multiple narratives, ephemeral or mobile forms, and new technologies. Recent examples of temporary commemoration include the AIDS Memorial Quilt display on the National Mall in 1996; "In America: Remember," which featured thousands of white flags planted on the National Mall representing victims of COVID-19; and a projection of the Apollo 11 launch on the Washington Monument to recognize the historic 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

As part of the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project, "Beyond Granite" will be a partnership between the Trust, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the National Park Service, along with contributing organizations including the District of Columbia, Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

“NCPC is thrilled to explore with our partners how we can make our commemorative landscape more inclusive and accessible, and expand our ideas for who, what, and how we memorialize,” said National Capital Planning Commission Executive Director Marcel Acosta.

“Beyond Granite” will also build upon on the agency’s previous efforts to facilitate discourse on reimagining museums and memorials and its broader work to inform long-range planning for commemorative works in the 21st century.

Press Release The Monuments Project NCPC's Commemoration Work