More about Dougherty

Dougherty has created his “installation art” in over 200 venues throughout the United States and 17 other countries. He has received many awards and grants, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.  In a recent full-length article on the artist and his work, the New York Times (October 6, 2010) stated:

“At 36, he went back to school, straight into the graduate art program at the University of North Carolina, 10 minutes away. His first stick work, a man-size tangle of saplings made on a picnic table at home, startled his professors, he said. They thought ‘it was too complete for someone who’d been blundering around in the netherworld.’

“Since then, he has made well over 200 startling (and delightful) pieces for sites all over the world — woolly lairs and wild follies, gigantic snares, nests and cocoons, some woven into groves of trees, others lashed around buildings. And in August, he was invited by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to make a piece for its centennial: you’ll find ‘Natural History,’ five winsome wind-blown pods that Mr. Dougherty described as ‘lairs for feral children or wayward adults,’ near the Magnolia Plaza there.”

Further information about Dougherty can be found at his web site, www.stickwork.net.

 pdweaving

Photo by Kaye Carlile
 
The Dougherty Exhibit

Acclaimed woven-wood artist Patrick Dougherty has installed a one-of-a-kind outdoor sculpture at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark.  With more than 1000 hours of help from local volunteers--as well as the expert assistance of Five Rivers MetroParks personnel--Dougherty created a nearly 200-foot-long tunnel that coils sinuously around Wegerzyn's North Plaza.  Woven entirely of willow branches that had been encroaching upon the fishing lakes at Englewood MetroPark, the sculpture has openings that invite the visitor to explore its rustic interior and to enjoy beautiful views of Wegerzyn's formal gardens. franz_foto_lo_res

Photo by Bill Franz

Dubbed "A Wiggle in Its Walk," our serpentine sculpture is quite distinctive from Dougherty's past creations, which are reminiscent of nests, lairs, vessels, and mythic shelters. He took full advantage of the North Plaza's central location, clear visibility from four directions, strong geometric presence, and proximity to the Children's Discovery Garden.  The sculpture is expected to remain standing for approximately two years, after which the material will be transferred to Wegerzyn’s composting facility.northview 

Photo by Ed Lehman

The sculpture and its associated Branching Out programs will be used to narrow the widening gap between the “plugged-in generation” and the natural environments by encouraging children to explore and appreciate the natural world and to recognize the need to preserve it.

Find our Dougherty page on Facebookfacebook-logo

The Wegerzyn Gardens Foundation raised over $68,000 for this exhibit and the Branching Out programs. Freund, Freeze and Arnold, the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, and The Marjorie M. Ivey Charitable Fund of the Greater Saint Louis Community are lead sponsors. WYSO is our media sponsor.

frndfrzarnld_blk

county logo 4cwyso hi res

 

 pdatweg
                 PATRICK DOUGHERTY      Photo by Kaye Carlile

Location of sculpture: Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark

1301 E. Siebenthaler Avenue, Dayton OH 45414

GPS: Latitude: 39.798605, Longitude: -84.205017

SCHEDULE: April 2011 to Spring 2013 (est.).

Free and open to the public during park hours:

April 1 - October 31, 8 am – 10 pm

November 1 - March 31, 8 am – 8 pm

Closed Christmas and New Year's Day

Closed on September 13, 2012 (Private Event)

CONTACT INFORMATION

937-277-6545 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.