
Stickwork at Mounts Botanical Garden in 2019.
Photo by Jacek Gancarz / Jacek Photo.
Environmental artist Patrick Dougherty is building his massive outdoor sculpture at Mounts Botanical Garden, which is the last of his more than 250 “Stickwork” sculptures installed around the world over the past 30 years.
Dougherty ties together carpentry and nature in his “Stickwork” pieces.
Work on the new sculpture began with a community build Nov. 14. Aided by volunteers, Dougherty is putting together the piece using 30,000 pounds of live willow branches. Volunteers can participate in the construction Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon or 1 to 5 p.m. Learn more about becoming a volunteer at mounts.org/volunteer.
“Each one of Dougherty’s structures are completely original, as will be his final Stickwork at Mounts,” says Rochelle Wolberg, Curator-Director of Mounts Botanical Garden.
Dougherty will discuss the design, the build process and his personal inspiration from 11 to 11:45 a.m. on Dec. 2. Admission is free to Mounts members and $20 for others. Registration is required at www.mounts.org.

Patrick Dougherty working on Stickwork.
Photo by Mauney Portrait.
Mounts will unveil the completed sculpture Dec. 3. Dougherty will lead a members-only talk and tour, limited to 100 people, from 11 a.m. to noon.
The public grand opening starts at noon with a celebration that runs until 3 with vegan cookies, arts and crafts, a food truck and folk band the Lubben Brothers.
The grand opening is free to Mounts members and kids under 6, $15 for nonmembers, $12 for college students, military with ID and seniors 65 and older, and $7 for ages 6 through 17.
Mounts Botanical Garden hosts events and exhibitions throughout the year. Its “Tropical Holiday Trees” exhibit of three 8-to-15-foot trees and hundreds of bromeliads, orchids and other tropical botanics is on display through Dec. 31. For more information, visit mounts.org/events.
Comments