Bob Joy
An example of Patrick Dougherty's work. This is "Grand Central," built at the McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida.
Artist Patrick Dougherty's stick sculptures have been making appearances everywhere from arboretums to art museums all over the globe — and now, Fort Worth is getting one, when Dougherty comes to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas to create a "Stickwork" sculpture in February.
“We are delighted to have Patrick Dougherty bring his distinctive form of outdoor installation art to Fort Worth,” president and executive director Ed Schneider said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see what he creates here — it’s sure to be unexpected.”
Neither Dougherty nor the garden have given any details on what the piece will look like ("Who knows! A hut, a nest, a cocoon, a tower, a maze — whatever Dougherty wants it to be," reads a statement by the garden). Nonetheless, the work will be similar to other pieces he created in more than 300 locations around the world.
Dougherty will be at the garden starting Feb. 1, working throughout the month with the help of volunteers, and visitors are welcome to watch.
According to the garden, the finished piece will remain "for as long as it survives the wind and weather. Eventually, all of Dougherty’s works return to the nature from which they came, usually lasting a year or two."
