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Media contact: Barb DeGroot, 952-443-1459, PR Specialist, MN Landscape Arboretum
Media Advisory:
Eco-artist to create outdoor sculpture with volunteers in May residency
WHAT: 'Big Build by Patrick Dougherty' at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
- Taking inspiration from the arboretum setting, Dougherty and his volunteer crew will create a unique and immense natural sculpture out of thousands of willow branches and tree saplings.
- Branches & saplings will be surplus biomass research material from the Horticultural Research Center in Victoria, the U of M Waseca Field Station and Carver Park Reserve's invasive plant control project.
- It will require about five truckloads of material.
WHEN: Monday, May 3- Saturday, May 22. Patrick will be working on site every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for the weekend of May 8-9. (Please call Barb DeGroot at 952-443-1459 or Judy Hohmann at 952-443-1445 to arrange interviews.)
BEST PHOTO OPS: Catch this amazing project from beginning to end...
PHASE ONE - May 3-7. Images of materials being delivered and amassed at the site; Patrick consulting with volounteers and assessing the site's potential. Planning & groundwork. Creation of the scaffolding.
PHASE TWO - May 10-16. Sculpture gradually takes shape. This is an exciting time as ideas and vision become reality and the sculpture rises from the earth. Hopefully a good time to capture the sense of synergy & teamwork growing between artist & volunteers.
PHASE THREE - May 17-21. Excitement builds as the sculpture comes to life and takes final form. Topping off and finishing touches.
GRAND FINALE - May 22. Naming & ribbon cutting ceremony. Festivities begin at 11 a.m. Patrick Dougherty will speak at the naming ceremony for his new sculpture and he will also appear at a Learning Center ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Stickworks (stick play) studio play area. This open are studio under the trees encourages visitors of all ages to weave their own stick art creations.
Dougherty's creation will remain in place for up to a year and become part of the Arboretum's Powerhouse Plants summer exhibition which opens June 5 and runs through Oct. 10.
ADDITIONAL KEY MEDIA OPS:
"An Evening with Patrick Dougherty" on Thursday, May 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Oswald Visitor Center. Dougherty will give a public presentation, describing his art installations around the world - from New York to California, Japan to Australia and just about everywhere in between. To schedule an interview before or after the event, call 952-443-1459 or email degro035@umn.edu.
Background on Patrick Dougherty:
During the last two decades, Dougherty has built more than 150 works throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. In the past five years alone, his work has been exhibited at arboreta, botanic gardens, parks and sculpture gardens in 19 states and four European countries. He has created sculptures at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; the San Diego Wild Animal Park; and the Copenhagen Botanical Gardens, Denmark.
Dougherty holds degrees from the University of North Carolina and the University of Iowa. He resides in Chapel Hill, N.C. More information is at www.stickwork.net. For more information on the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, visit www.arboretum.umn.edu or call 952-443-1400.
'Big Build by Patrick Dougherty' is presented by J.P. Morgan.
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest and a premier northern arboretum, is part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota and developed as a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research, and public education. It is open year-round (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas) and is located 9 miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator.
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