Opening Night of The New American Garden at National Building Museum

The evening of October 15, 2015 was a momentous night for OvS. The firm was celebrated in the exhibition “The New American Garden: The Landscape Architecture of Oehme, van Sweden” in the National Building Museum’s largest monographic display in its history, and a festive reception. The exhibition tells the story of Founding Partners Wolfgang Oehme and Jim van Sweden through archival materials, photographs and inspirational artwork from the firm’s 40 year history, and runs through April 2016. More than 150 guests, including former clients, friends, employees, and the staff of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, the co-sponsor of the exhibition, enjoyed good company and conversation as they stood beside the museum’s four colossal Corinthian columns—among the tallest classical columns in the world.

The National Building Museum’s Executive Director, Chase Rynd, welcomed guests to the exhibition. TCLF President and CEO Charles Birnbaum and OvS Principal Eric Groft also addressed guests. The Great Hall was a marvelous place to throw a party and guests enjoyed a grand fare before going into the intimate gallery space.

TCLF has developed a microsite that features an interactive exhibit which delves further into OvS’ body of work. It features an online version of the exhibition gallery guide, biographies, clients’ recollections about the founders, pictures of the gallery space, as well as photographs and garden plans not featured in the exhibit.