SeePublic art

Guardianship Sculpture

Guardianship is an outdoor 1935 sculpture by American artist James Earle Fraser, installed in front of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., United States. Guardianship is a companion piece to Heritage.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Directions Suggest a nearby place

Place data from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

Close by

SeePublic art
Heritage Sculpture
Heritage is an outdoor 1935 sculpture by American artist James Earle Fraser, installed in front of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., United States. Heritage is a companion piece to Guardianship. The National Archives Foundation's Heritage Award, which recognizes "individuals, corporations, and organizations whose deeds are consistent with the Foundation's mission of educating, enriching, and inspiring a deeper appreciation of our country's heritage", is named after the sculpture.
SeePublic art
Six-Part Seating
Six-Part Seating is a sculpture by Scott Burton, installed at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. The work, conceived in 1985 and fabricated in 1998, consists of six polished red granite seats that can be arranged in a circle or side by side. The seats weigh approximately 1500 pounds each. Visitors are welcome to sit on the seats.
SeePublic art
Wandering Rocks
SeeHistory museumEast End
National Archives
For history buffs, a visit is a must, as it has a display containing declassified top secret documents related to the Cold War. The original copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights are also on display, though the writing is so faded on the latter two that you will not be able to make it out. No photography of the documents is allowed.
Rotunda and exhibit hall, open daily except 25 December; day after Labor Day through March 14: 10AM-5:30PM, March 15 through Labor Day: 10AM-7PM; last admission 30 minutes before closingFree · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible