In September 2021 Sidewalk Detroit a non-profit that exists to advance public life and strong social infrastructure through the lens of arts, culture, collaborative design and deep engagement with residents, hosted internationally acclaimed artist, Patrick Dougherty as he created one of his famed ‘Stickwork’ sculptures in Eliza Howell Park. This artist residency engaged over 150 artists, volunteers, neighbors, and members of the public to work side by side with the artist as he created this monumental piece. Each aspect of the sculpture is hand-woven and composed entirely of natural materials. This art installation is a multi-year effort, part of Sidewalk Detroit’s long-term work in the park. The vision for Eliza Howell Park is to improve park infrastructure, specifically focusing on stormwater management and restoration of the native ecosystem while curating activities that facilitate a deeper connection to the park.

About Patrick Dougherty -

Born in Oklahoma in 1945, Dougherty was raised in North Carolina. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina in 1967 and an M.A. in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa in 1969. Later, he returned to the University of North Carolina to study art history and sculpture. Combining his carpentry skills with his love of nature, Patrick began to learn more about primitive techniques of building and to experiment with tree saplings as construction material. In 1982 his first work, Maple Body Wrap, was included in the North Carolina Biennial Artists’ Exhibition, sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of Art. In the following year, he had his first one-person show entitled, Waitin’ It Out in Maple at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

His work quickly evolved from single pieces on conventional pedestals to monumental scale environmental works, which required saplings by the truckloads. Over the last thirty-some years, he has built over 300 of these works, and become internationally acclaimed. His sculpture has been seen worldwide---from Scotland to Japan to Brussels, and all over the United States.

He has received numerous awards, including the 2011 Factor Prize for Southern Art, North Carolina Artist Fellowship Award, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Henry Moore Foundation Fellowship, Japan-US Creative Arts Fellowship, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Princeton Architectural Press published a major book about Patrick and his work in 2009.

Visit Patrick Dougherty Website: http://www.stickwork.net/

photo credits - top right and bottom left, Cheryl Willard