Archinect - News

Elyn Zimmerman’s Marabar sculpture redebuts as Sudama in D.C.

2023-04-04T19:19:00-04:00

Artist Elyn Zimmerman’s 1984 Marabar sculpture has been officially rededicated on the campus of Washington, D.C.’s American University after a yearslong preservation effort spearheaded by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF).

A reconfiguration of the site-specific 225-ton granite sculpture was installed next to the school’s Kay Spiritual Life Center over the last year after being moved from the courtyard surrounding the National Geographic Society headquarters in order to make room for a new plaza expansion designed by Hickock Cole and OLIN.

TCLF President Charles Birnbaum said: “Though we regret the loss of Marabar at its original location, we are pleased that its creator, artist Elyn Zimmerman, with the support of National Geographic, retained the ability to control its reconfiguration and relocation to the American University campus. Had TCLF not intervened beginning in March 2020, when the artist was resigned to the loss of one of her most important works, Zimmerman's instal...

Elyn Zimmerman’s Marabar installation finally has a new home

2021-12-29T19:28:00-05:00

The fate of one of the most iconic artworks in the nation’s capital has been officially resolved months after The Cultural Landscape Foundation assured that its future would be set in stone.

Artist Elyn Zimmerman’s massive granite Marabar installation has found a new home after a planned modernization at D.C.’s National Geographic Society previously caused uncertainty about its future.

The New York Times is reporting that the million-pound installation will now be relocated to the campus of American University following an agreement between the two institutions. The university’s art museum is taking the piece that served as the centerpiece of the David Childs-designed building since its inception in 1984.

The Society had previously announced its intention to do away with the piece in lieu of a new plaza from Hickock Cole and OLIN which featured a pavilion and trendy rooftop garden. The installation seemed doomed after the city’s Historic Preservation Board okayed the removal be...

Site-specific installation MARABAR, threatened by National Geographic expansion, to be moved to new site

2021-03-05T19:42:00-05:00

In a defeat tinged by cautious hope, an accord has been reached to remove Elyn Zimmerman’s 1984 sculptural installation Marabar from the headquarters of the National Geographic Society (NGS) in Washington, DC, but to keep it intact and move it to a new location.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation, advocating for the preservation of the threatened sculptural installation by the artist Elyn Zimmerman, announced that the newly reached resolution expects the acclaimed artwork to be moved and reinstalled on a new site.

Previously on Archinect: Polished stone sculpture threatened by National Geographic expansion prompts reconsideration

"I have been assured by NGS that I will have an active role in overseeing the removal, transportation and eventual installation of the components of MARABAR on a new site which will be carried out at National Geographic’s expense," said Elyn Zimmerman, an Isamu Noguchi Award recipient.

Polished stone sculpture threatened by National Geographic expansion prompts reconsideration

2020-05-29T14:49:00-04:00

A District of Columbia preservation panel told the National Geographic Society on Thursday to suspend its current campus redesign plan pending further review of the proposed removal of an acclaimed sculptural installation on the site.

A controversial plan to demolish an existing stone sculpture located at the National Geographic headquarters complex in Washington, D.C. has hit a road block as the city's preservation board has asked the project team to reconsider their designs in an effort to save or repurpose the artwork.

Rendering of the proposed campus entry lobby situated where the Marabar sculpture is currently installed. Image courtesy of Hickock & Cole.

Architects Hickok & Cole and OLIN are behind the new proposal, which would require demolishing the 1980s-era "Marabar" sculpture created by artist Elyn Zimmerman. David Childs of SOM, the architect who commissioned the sculpture as part of an SOM-led expansion of the headquarters in 1984, has come out against the demolition, as have over a dozen other design, museum, and cultural heritage professionals and organizations, including The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which has led efforts to save the sculpture.