Home / Arts and Entertainment / Wolf Trap: Arts Find Home in National Park
Wolf Trap: Arts Find Home in National Park
19 Aug
Summary
- Wolf Trap is the only US national park dedicated to performing arts.
- Catherine Filene Shouse donated land and funds for Wolf Trap.
- Established in 1966, Wolf Trap fosters arts, education, and recreation.
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, located in Fairfax County, Virginia, began as the private farm of Catherine Filene Shouse. Shouse, a prominent arts advocate, envisioned a dedicated space for performing arts within America's national park system. Her idea, spurred by the cultural momentum of the 1960s, gained traction with support from key figures like Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall.
In 1966, Congress approved legislation to establish Wolf Trap Farm Park. Shouse then gifted nearly 100 acres of her land and contributed to building an amphitheater. This transformative act converted private property into a public cultural center, officially designated for performing arts, educational programs, and recreation.
Today, Wolf Trap is renowned for its outdoor performances, most notably at the Filene Center. It uniquely demonstrates how arts can be the primary purpose of a national park, moving beyond traditional preservation of landscapes or historical sites. Wolf Trap remains the only national park in the United States exclusively devoted to the performing arts, continuing Shouse's enduring legacy.
