Internationally Acclaimed Artist Patrick Dougherty to Create Two Installations in Worcester County
Dougherty has been commissioned by Tower Hill Botanic Garden and will serve as artist-in-residence at College of the Holy Cross.
WORCESTER, Mass. — Imagine strolling through the campus of a New England college or a public garden and stumbling across a giant work of organic art, created from saplings interwoven into life-sized whimsical structures. This summer, visitors to Worcester county will have the rare opportunity to see the newest works of internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty at the
Dougherty bends, weaves, and flexes locally sourced saplings into architectural sculptures which are unique to the setting and dynamically relate to the landscape and built environment around them. Over the last 30 years, he has built more than 250 of these works. His award winning sculptures have been seen worldwide — from Scotland to Japan to Brussels, and all over the United States.
The first installation has been commissioned by Tower Hill in Boylston, Mass., after which Dougherty will serve as the 2016-2017 Arts Transcending Borders artist-in-residence at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
“Here at Tower Hill we strive to show our visitors the value of plants and the impact nature can have on our lives,” said Tower Hill interim CEO Suzanne Maas. “We’re thrilled to experience Patrick Dougherty’s works up close and to see the power of plants through his unique perspective.”
In each location, Dougherty will create a site-specific installation with the help of local volunteers. Volunteers will receive instruction from Dougherty, and then have the opportunity to work alongside him, taking part in the construction.
“We are very excited to have Patrick Dougherty’s large-scale installation grace our campus,” says Lynn Kremer, director of Arts Transcending Borders at Holy Cross. “The work, which is certain to evoke a sense of home and community, is collaborative art–making at its finest and will require the assistance of many volunteers. Students, faculty, and staff from a wide range of departments will help in the creation. We invite members of the community to join in or observe.”
The Tower Hill installation, which will be included in the price of admission, will be officially unveiled on Aug. 25 and on display throughout the fall and winter, and the Holy Cross installation on Sept. 23. Each will be constructed with responsibly harvested saplings from the surrounding area: Tower Hill has partnered with Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to select saplings from around Boylston, and Holy Cross will work with the Greater Worcester Land Trust to select saplings from two sites in Worcester. In both cases, the sapling harvest benefits the project as well as the community, creating a use for saplings that would otherwise be cleared from the space and disposed of.
“The Greater Worcester Land Trust is very happy to be a partner in this community effort as the cut saplings will help create wildlife openings and early successional habitat on public conservation land,” said Colin M.J. Novick, Executive Director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust. “This isn’t just a great community building and inspiring event, it is also one that leaves the wilds and woods of Worcester in better shape.”
For more information visit: towerhillbg.org
How do you get to be one of the local volunteers?
Manny, Email Tower Hill directly for more info. You can click on the link at the end of the post and go to their contact me page 🙂