1. Self Portrait, M.C. Escher, 1943
Patrick Dougherty
Born 1945
Portrait of Patrick Dougherty, Photo by David C. Calicchio, 2006, on location at Max Azria Melrose Boutique installation, Los Angeles, CA
Patrick Dougherty was born in Oklahoma in 1945, and was raised in North Carolina. He still lives in North Carolina, but spends most of the year travelling around the world building his sculptures.
Self Portrait, M.C. Escher, 1943
Photo by David C. Calicchiio

2. Running in Circles, Patrick Dougherty, 1996
Running in Circles, Patrick Dougherty, 1996, willow and norway maple saplings, 23 feet by 100 feet by 3 feet, TICKON Sculpture Park, Langeland, Denmark (April 27, 1996-June 15, 1998), , Photo courtesy of Hatten 18.
Dougherty creates large sculptures by weaving SAPLINGS and smaller sticks together to create large FORMS. (Shapes are two-dimensional, FORMS are three-dimensional).
He designs his sculptures to interact with the environment where they are created.
Whenever possible, Dougherty likes to work with sticks that come from an area near the site of a planned sculpture, where there is construction or land being cleared. He and his volunteers will go out to harvest the SAPLINGS: very young trees between two and six years old.
How does this sculpture interact with the environment?
Why do you think Dougherty gave the sculpture this title?
Dougherty relates his process to making a THREE-DIMENSIONAL drawing and has said, “Anything you can do with a pencil, you can do with a stick.”
What words would you use to describe this sculpture?
Running in Circles, Patrick Dougherty, 1996

3. Around the Corner (summer and winter views), Patrick Dougherty, 2014
Just Around the Corner, Patrick Dougherty, 2003, mixed hardwood saplings from several nearby sites, 18 feet high by 100 feet long by 15 feet wide, located on the corner of Main and Church Streets (April 21, 2003-December 18, 2006), Photos by Doyle Dean.
Dougherty was a very inquisitive and imaginative child. He loved to build things and try to understand how they were put together.
He loved to make forts in the woods, and create crowns and other gifts for his siblings from the materials he found.
Does this sculpture remind you of anything a child would want to build? (tree fort, play house, building from a fairy tale, etc.)
Dougherty began working with sticks because they were free and readily available on his property. He quickly realized they could be woven together to build strong, stable forms that would withstand weather conditions.
Since Dougherty builds his sculptures outside, he has to plan for them to withstand the changing seasons and extreme weather conditions.
How do you think weather can affect a sculpture that is built outside?
Around the Corner (summer and winter views), Patrick Dougherty, 2014

4. Little Ballroom (under construction), Patrick Dougherty, 2012
Little Ballroom (under construction, crew on scaffolding), Patrick Dougherty, 2012, willow saplings, 30 feet by 30 feet by 24 feet, Federation Square, Melbourne Australia (Installed 2012), Photo by Megan Cullen.
Patrick Dougherty didn’t know any artists when he was growing up, so it didn’t occur to him to become an artist. He went to college and worked in health administration.
In the late 1970’s, he decided to build his own house without any help from architects or construction workers. He built the house using wood from nearby abandoned tobacco barns and stones he salvaged from the property around the home site in rural North Carolina. It required PROBLEM-SOLVING and creativity to build a house with these materials without any blue-prints or plans.
The house was built one room at a time over the course of several years. Dougherty thinks that building his own house gave him some of the skills he needed to become a SCULPTOR, and inspired him to learn more about art.
He decided to go back to college to study art in 1980, at age 35. He loved being around other creative people who liked to build things as much as he did!
By 1982, Patrick Dougherty was exhibiting his first woven stick and sapling sculptures in galleries and museums.
What is happening in this image? Is this sculpture finished or under construction? How do you know? (You can see Dougherty and his crew working on a SCAFFOLDING)
Little Ballroom (under construction), Patrick Dougherty, 2012

5. Call of the Wild, Patrick Dougherty, 2002
Call of the Wild, Patrick Dougherty, 2002, vine maple, red twig dogwood, bitter cherry, and willow saplings at the lowest reflecting pool of the pedestrian plaza, total length 60 feet; two pieces 10 feet high, 8 feet in diameter; three pieces 10 feet high, 4 feet in diameter, Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington (July 6, 2002-June 30, 2003), Photo by Duncan Price
His large sculptures are built on-site and require a crew of up to sixty volunteers to complete. It takes Dougherty and his crew three weeks to build each sculpture.
This sculpture is located at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.
Can you recognize any of the forms in Dougherty’s sculptures?
Why do you think Dougherty placed the sculpture in this location, in this way?
Call of the Wild, Patrick Dougherty, 2002

6. Childhood Dreams, Patrick Dougherty, 2007
Childhood Dreams, Patrick Dougherty, 2007, willow saplings and small poplar trees (from The Willow Farm, Pescadero, CA), 15 feet high by 40 feet long by 25 feet wide, alongside the Harriet Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ (February 24, 2007-August 20, 2008), Photo by Adam Rodriguez.
This sculpture, Childhood Dreams, was built at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.
When planning Childhood Dreams, Dougherty was fascinated by a group of barrel cacti he found near the site which inspired this sculpture's FORM. (The form is also similar to tumbleweeds, which can be found in the desert.)
Dougherty and his crew need green, flexible SAPLINGS for his sculptures. Why could this be difficult in a hot, dry desert?
Because of the challenges associated with building sculpture on location, Dougherty has to do quite a bit of planning!

7. Preparatory Sketch : Just for Looks, Patrick Dougherty, 2006
TOP: Preparatory Sketch: Just for Looks (project installed 2006 at Max Aria Melrose Boutique, Los Angeles, CA), Patrick Dougherty.
BOTTOM: Patrick Dougherty constructing Out of the Box at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC, 2009, Photo courtesy of NCMA.
Dougherty usually visits the sites for his sculptures a year or more in advance of the build in order to plan their construction.
He takes notes about the location and community, writing down the first words that come to mind while visiting.
Dougherty likes to look at the locations from many different angles and think about how the sculpture will fit into the location. He sometimes takes pictures and makes quick sketches in his notebooks to generate the basic shape of the sculpture.
Do the marks in Dougherty’s sketch (at the top) look similar to the lines created by the saplings in Dougherty’s sculptures? How do you think he made this sketch? (He drew on top of a photograph with markers and/or charcoal).
However, he says that when the construction of the sculpture begins, he lets environment, materials and the developing FORM change his ideas, he doesn’t have to stick to the original plan.
In the image at the bottom, you can see Dougherty “bending” or weaving sticks to make a sculpture. Do you think it is easy or difficult to work this way?
Patrick Dougherty constructing Out of the Box at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC, 2009

8. Out of the Box, Patrick Dougherty, 2009
Out of the Box, Patrick Dougherty, 2009, willow saplings, (Installed April, 2009), Photo courtesy of NCMA.
The previous slide showed Dougherty working on Out of the Box. This is the finished sculpture he created for the North Carolina Museum of Art.
What words would you use to describe the lines in this sculpture?
Is this sculpture different than the other sculptures you have seen? How?
Out of the Box, Patrick Dougherty, 2009

9. Na Hale ‘Eo Waiawi, Patrick Dougherty, 2003
Na Hale ‘Eo Waiawi (Hawaiian for “huts built from strawberry guava), Patrick Dougherty, 2003, strawberry guava and rose apple saplings (gathered from Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden) at the base of a monkey pod tree, 30 feet high by 20 feet long by 30 feet wide, Contemporary Museum Honolulu Sculpture Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii (July 19, 2003-May 15, 2005),
Photo by Paul Kodama
Dougherty chose this site because he was amazed by the size and shape of the monkey pod tree (located in the sculpture garden at the Contemporary Museum Honolulu Sculpture Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii.)
Why do you think Patrick designed his sculpture in this shape? Do you see the doorways in his sculpture? Do you think Dougherty wants people to walk through his sculpture?

10. Fit for a Queen, Patrick Dougherty, 2014
Fit for a Queen, Patrick Dougherty, 2014, willow saplings, approximately 12 feet high by 45 feet long by 45 feet wide, alongside a moat at the base of the castle Ville de Nates, France (Installed August, 2014), Photo by Sapristi-Emmanuelle Tran-le.
Fit for a Queen was by a moat at the base of the castle Ville de Nates in France in 2014.
What do you think Dougherty wants people to think of when they walk through the sculpture?
Do you see elements of this sculpture that remind you of the architecture of the castle?
Fit for a Queen, Patrick Dougherty, 2014

11. Summer Palace, Patrick Dougherty, 2009
Summer Palace, Patrick Dougherty, 2009, willow saplings, 18 feet wide by 24 feet long by 28 feet high, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (April ?), Photo by Rob Cardillo
Dougherty’s sculptures are playful; he wants adults and children alike to be reminded that play and imagination are important aspects of our lives.
Children encountering the sculptures for the first time immediately know what to do as they being to run, play and get lost in them.
Adults are reminded of childhood experiences such as building forts and playing pretend in tree houses.
What makes this sculpture seem playful?
What words would you use to describe this sculpture?
What would you do if you visited this sculpture?
Summer Palace, Patrick Dougherty, 2009

12. Close Ties, Patrick Dougherty, 2006
Close Ties, Patrick Dougherty, 2006, willow saplings grown on the Brahan Estate as a biomass project, 23 feet high by 30 feet long by 30 feet wide, Brahan Estate near Dingwall, Scotland (May 29, 2006-May ), Photo by Fin Macrae
Dougherty examines each sculpture carefully to be sure that the line and texture will be interesting to anyone visiting the sculpture.
He wants the viewer to be surprised as they walk through or around the sculpture, making new discoveries and sometimes getting lost in the sculpture.
The sculpture becomes a location of solitude and for some a place for spiritual contemplation. His sculptures often become gathering places for the COMMUNITY.

13. A Bird in the Hand, Patrick Dougherty, 2015
A Bird in the Hand, Patrick Dougherty, 2015, ash, red maple, hickory and other saplings harvested from nearby sites, surplus willow saplings (from the previous build at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, PA), approximately 30 feet wide by 30 feet long by 10 feet high, Reston Town Square Park, Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA (Installed April, 2015), Photo by Greg Staley.
In April of 2015, Dougherty constructed “A Bird in the Hand” at Reston Town Center Square Park.
The project was organized by the Greater Reston Arts Center in partnership with the Initiative for Public Art Reston.
The project utilized over 6o volunteers and number of community organizations during the construction period.
“A Bird in the Hand” will be on view through spring of 2017 and has been a very popular destination for community members and visitors from afar.
This was such an important project for the community, the Greater Reston Arts Center and Initiative Public Art Reston decided a documentary film needed to be made about the construction. The film was made by local filmmaker Rebekah Wingert-Jabi.
A short version of the film can be viewed on the Greater Reston Arts Center’s website:
A Bird in the Hand, Patrick Dougherty, 2015

14. A Bird in the Hand, Patrick Dougherty, 2015
A Bird in the Hand, Patrick Dougherty, 2015, ash, red maple, hickory and other saplings harvested from nearby sites, surplus willow saplings (from the previous build at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, PA), approximately 30 feet wide by 30 feet long by 10 feet high, Reston Town Square Park, Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA (Installed April, 2015), Photos by Greg Staley.
Since this sculpture nearby, you should go visit with your family and friends before the sculpture comes down.
Have you had the opportunity to visit this sculpture?
Like all of Dougherty’s sculptures, there are surprises and delights for viewers of all ages. Hundreds of people pass by or walk through the sculpture each day.
What do you think it would be like to be inside of this sculpture?
A Bird in the Hand, Patrick Dougherty, 2015

15. Patrick Dougherty with Learning Curve, 2013
Patrick Dougherty with Learning Curve, 2013, Installed at Center for Creativity & the Arts, University of California, Fresno, CA, Photo by Jonathan Mathis.
Being made of natural materials, Dougherty’s sculptures slowly degrade and begin to decay over time.
The lifespan of one of his sculptures is about two years. After this period of time Dougherty prefers that they be taken down, before they become unsightly or dangerous.
Knowing that the sculpture will not last does not bother Dougherty. He thinks of his sculptures like a good flowerbed or garden; it is made, flourishes and then goes back to the earth. You have to enjoy it while it is here!
The artist has received many awards including the 2011 Factor Prize for Southern Art, North Carolina Artist Fellowship Award, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Henry Moore Foundation Fellowship, Japan-US Creative Arts Fellowship, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.
Princeton Architectural Press published a major book, Stickwork, about Dougherty and his work in 2010.
Dougherty has built over 250 of these large sculptures! He continues to build his sculptures around the world and has no plans to stop.
Patrick Dougherty with Learning Curve, 2013