When Glenna Goodacre was a student and interested in becoming a sculptor, her art teacher discouraged her. He gave her a grade of “D,” told her that she had no ability to see in three dimensions and advised her to switch to painting.

Ms. Goodacre did paint for a while, but went on to become a nationally known sculptor. Her works include the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, the Irish famine memorial in Philadelphia and the Sacagawea dollar coin. She also made a larger-than-life statue of President Ronald Reagan, which was unveiled at the Reagan Presidential Library in California 1998.

She was 80 when she died on Monday at her home in Santa Fe, N.M.

Her son-in-law, the musician Harry Connick Jr., who is married to her daughter, Jill, announced the death on Instagram. Her husband, C. L. Mike Schmidt, said she died of natural causes, but added that her health had been declining since she suffered a brain injury in 2007.

Ms. Goodacre was one of the few women creating large, commemorative sculptures; early in her career, she signed her work “G. Goodacre,” out of concern that people would not buy art made by a woman. Her works, including paintings, have been exhibited across the United States and in collections in more than 40 countries.