Stickwork Installation, Patrick Dougherty, Ackland Art Museum, 2017
Large-scale vessel forms, fashioned entirely of tree saplings, are emerging this month on the front lawn of the Ackland Art Museum in downtown Chapel Hill.
Stickwork Installation, Patrick Dougherty, Ackland Art Museum, 2017
Currently untitled, this commissioned artwork is under construction though Friday outside the university museum’s Columbia Street entrance.
Stickwork Installation, Patrick Dougherty, Ackland Art Museum, 2017
Artist Patrick Dougherty is an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill with more than 280 of these installations to his credits.
Portals designed into the sculpture allow for human interaction with the space.
In constructing this work Dougherty is using responsibly harvested material, mostly maple and gum, from Duke Forest and Triangle Land Conservancy.
Stickwork Installation, Patrick Dougherty, Ackland Art Museum, 2017
Volunteers have been supporting the creation of this piece by helping with local harvest, leaf stripping and construction. Prepared bundles of saplings line both sides of the walkway.
Bundles of stripped saplings ready for inclusion
Temporary in nature, the sculpture will remain on view through the end of August 2018.
Stickwork Installation, Patrick Dougherty, Ackland Art Museum, 2017
Stickwork Installation, Patrick Dougherty, Ackland Art Museum, 2017
pbmGarden 
These are amazing. I love that last one with the passage right through!
He made an incredible one a couple years ago at the local botanical garden that was fun to walk around in. Can’t wait to explore this one from within.
Love those, he was here a few years ago.
Fun, aren’t they? He built one a couple years ago at the local botanical garden that was very successful.
You made me realize I should go see if they blew away in the Hurricane!
If only I had the talent to make a small one I’d be thrilled. These skills remind me of the sand castle sculptures and wall murals done with spray paint. 🙂
The scale I think is what makes these so inviting.
They are really interesting sculptures. I saw them in the Philadelphia are once.
I like his sculptures, fluid environments from natural materials.
Those are awesome. Unique and very impressive! I could see doing that on a smaller scale as a decoration at home.
These large-scale inventions would be out of the question for me, but I’m glad he enjoys making them. I’ve seen several over the years and find them fascinating.
These are so interesting! Is he the same artist that created the structures on display near the Reston Town Center in Virginia back in June? I missed those in person when we were there for the Fling but saw a couple of posts on them.
Yes, same person Kris. I’d forgotten that. I didn’t get to see that one either.
Amazing! I like anything like this, there are some very talented people around.
It’s always nice to see artists being able to do their art.
Thanks for sharing these Susie; they are beautiful. I also like the idea of art being ephemeral, and not being ‘for ever’. The scale makes them impressive and I can only try to imagine walking around inside one.
Christina, I think you were at the NC Botanical Garden with me when this artist had another large piece on display. That garden was our last stop that day as we headed home after a meal at Weathervane and we arrived too late to see much, just a few minutes before closing time. Wish we’d had more time together.
I’d forgotten. When the internet comes back on I’ll look at my photographs. I wish we’d had more time together too and that it had been slightly less humid.
I like it. Makes me wish I could do something with all the stems left from spring cleanup.