A new, as-yet-untitled artwork by internationally known artist Patrick Dougherty will be dedicated Monday, Nov. 21, at Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Photo by Stan Strembicki.
WHO: Artist Patrick Dougherty, internationally known for crafting large-scale sculptures from locally harvested tree saplings.
WHAT: A monumental, as-yet-untitled woven-wood sculpture commissioned by Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
WHERE: South lawn of Givens Hall, located along Forsyth Boulevard just west of the intersection with Skinker Boulevard.
WHEN: A dedication ceremony will be held at noon, Monday, Nov. 21. The artwork will remain on view through fall 2013.
COST: Free and open to the public
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Dougherty; Ron Fondaw, professor of art; and Peter MacKeith, associate dean of the Sam Fox School. Student volunteers also will be in attendance.
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Combining carpentry skills with a love of nature, Dougherty weaves, bends and flexes saplings and sticks into playful architectural forms that suggest themes of shelter, environment and sustainability.
This fall, Dougherty served as the 2011 Louis D. Beaumont Artist in Residence in the Sam Fox School, leading a “Masterclass in Art & Architecture: Stickwork on Campus.” Co-taught with professor Ron Fondaw, the class included 16 students drawn from architecture, landscape architecture and the visual arts, all of whom assisted Dougherty in the creation of this new work, which consists of two large woven structures, the tallest of which rises approximately 20 feet in the air.
Based in Chapel Hill, NC, Dougherty has completed more than 200 such sculptures around the world. Stickwork, a monograph about his art, was released in 2010 by Princeton Architectural Press.
PHOTO OP: In addition to the dedication ceremony, Dougherty and students are currently nearing completion of the sculpture and will be on site for the rest of the week.
To arrange an interview or b-roll, call Liam Otten at 314-935-8494 (office); 314-324-2076 (cell); 314-863-4296 (weekend) or email liam_otten@wustl.edu.