Picture a monumental sculpture made entirely of sticks resting on Guilford’s quadrangle. Such structures, called “Stickworks,” are the work of internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty. His art will add a new aspect to Guilford’s year of sustainability.
Beginning Feb. 2 and continuing through Feb. 20, Dougherty will be in residence at Guilford, building a Stickwork sculpture near the center of campus. At the end of his residency, on Feb. 20, at 2 p.m., Dougherty will give a public lecture in Bryan Jr. Auditorium.
Dougherty estimates the sculpture will be 25 feet in diameter and approximately 25 to 30 feet in height. The project will be made of natural tree saplings, which have an average life span of three to five years. When they decompose, they can be recycled into mulch to use on campus.
“I think the fact that the work eventually decays is a beautiful conclusion to a process that begins with dozens of people hand-gathering the materials in the local landscape,” said Part-Time Lecturer of Art Mark Dixon in an e-mail interview. Dixon teaches Sculpture and the Environment, which will be participating in the project. Volunteers are also needed to harvest and construct the sculpture. If you are interested, contact Terry Hammond, [email protected].
What the sculpture will look like is yet to be determined. The final product will remain at Guilford for at least one year. The artwork will survive through many conditions.
“Part of the interesting thing is to watch how it goes through the changing seasons … it kind of morphs, sags, and settles,” said Director and Curator of the Art Gallery Terry Hammond, “It has a life of its own.”
Many anticipate that the sculpture will spark thought-provoking inquiry on sustainability for the year it is on campus.
“I think that a big part of art is making people think and making them question norms,” said junior sculpture major Erick Armbrust. “I think that when thinking about sustainability, we are trying to promote understanding and education on the matter in order to get people to think differently about their daily practices.”
Dougherty’s residency is made possible through the financial contributions of many on- and off-campus organizations, such as the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, the Guilford College Art Gallery, the Art Department, the Center for Principled Problem Solving, the Office of Institutional Advancement, and Community Senate.
“I view art as an expression of us as individuals and relating that to sustainability,” said Rebekah Burlason, president of the Outdoors Club, which helped fund Dougherty’s project. “I guess it would be us expressing that we would want to show that natural resources is a way that can be beautiful.”
As the project aims to further propel thought in the theme of sustainability, there is optimism about its success.
“I think an installation like this one has tremendous potential to excite the imaginations of everyone who encounters it,” said Maia Dery, visiting instructor of art, in an e-mail interview.
The process to bring Dougherty’s art to Guilford was extensive. Hammond, along with CPPS Project and Communication Manager Kim Yarbray, has been working on this project for one and a half years.
“It’s been really exciting that it’s about to happen,” said Hammond. “I would say that this is probably the biggest event that I’ve tried to undertake in my 20 years as gallery director.”