Washington's Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden reopens October 31 with Hiroshi Sugimoto redesign and about 60 outdoor works

The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington will reopen on October 31, ending more than three and a half years of closure and renovation. The garden was redesigned by Japanese artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, in what the museum calls the most significant rethinking of its campus since the museum opened in 1974. The opening celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free.

What the new garden looks like

The 1.3-acre sunken garden on the National Mall will display about 60 works outdoors, roughly 50% more than before, among nearly 30,000 new plants and trees. Some 950 tons of dry-stacked stone walls divide the site into connected areas; a long-closed underground passage has been restored to reconnect the garden with the museum plaza; and the garden has five entry points, including a wider entrance on the Mall side and ramps for step-free access. The original reflecting pool is retained, and a redesigned water feature can be drained to create a gathering place for performances and public programs.

The works span the 1880s to the present day, from founding-collection masters including Rodin, Matisse, Henry Moore, Giacometti and Barbara Hepworth to living artists and new commissions, no longer arranged in chronological order. The inaugural West Lawn exhibition is Yoshitomo Nara's Sentinels of Stillness. Opening-day activities include artist pop-up talks, mini sculpture garden making and a scavenger hunt.

Washington's winter season arrives with it

The reopening kicks off Washington's winter visitor season. According to the schedule published by Destination DC, the city's official destination organisation: the DowntownDC Holiday Market runs November 13 to December 23 with more than 115 vendors; Enchant Christmas at Nationals Park runs November 20 to December 27; ZooLights runs November 20 to January 3; the National Air and Space Museum adds new galleries on October 30 and November 11; the National Gallery of Art skating season begins November 23; and the US Botanic Garden's free holiday exhibition runs November 26 to January 3.