End of Day 2

Things change fast! By the end of Day 2, the holes in the ground were already filled with sticks. If you didn't know better, you would think they were trees. Today's crew worked hard to "plant" the sticks, which will create the framework for the sculpture.

Day 2

Patrick Dougherty is on site, and began his creation yesterday. This picture is from this morning. The area where the sculpture will go is marked out with the pink flags and piles of dirt. By the afternoon, the holes have been filled with sticks, and the creation is already starting to come to life. It is going to be some form of a spiral, possibly inspired by the shell of a snail.

About Patrick

This spring, Dougherty will create a unique, abstract sculpture during a three-week on-site residency. Working with volunteers and staff, Dougherty will weave hundreds of sticks and saplings into a whimsical site-specific creation along the banks of the Wissahickon Creek in the Arboretum’s Butcher Sculpture Garden.

Dougherty arrives at the site of each new installation with no preconceptions as to what he will create. Instead, using locally gathered natural materials, he draws inspiration from the surrounding environment to design a large-scale structure that when completed, may remind visitors of a nest, cocoon or even a fairy tale dwelling. Each of his sculptures is designed and executed without the use of nails or other supportive hardware, and the result is a creation that may resemble something artful that was shaped by a powerful wind that swept across the landscape.

At the conclusion of his Morris Arboretum residency, Dougherty will name his creation and leave the Arboretum with a distinctive architectural element that will remain in place as long as it lasts in the natural environment.

You can also learn more about Patrick Dougherty and view his work at http://www.stickwork.net/.