MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — More than 230 volunteers — students, faculty, staff, and members of the community — joined artist Patrick Dougherty in the creation of an environmental sculpture in front of Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts.
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| 'So Inclined,' the finished project, soars to more than 15 feet in height in front of the Center for the Arts. |
Named “So Inclined” by the artist on the final day of the three-week project in September, the installation was conceived and executed on the site, and constructed entirely from saplings harvested locally. Dougherty, who has been commissioned to create sculptures in Japan, France, Denmark, Mexico, the U.K., and across the United States from Maine to Hawaii, is known for works that often reach startling scale, that appear to be “found” or discovered in nature, and feature graceful swirls and coils that suggest a natural habitat for living things.
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| The sculptor Patrick Dougherty on one of the final days of the project. |
The sculptor’s signature enterprise is to work in plain view and engage the entire community in his creations, and his Middlebury installation is no exception. Volunteers for “So Inclined” came from every walk of life. Some people dedicated dozens of hours to the project while others just happened to stop by and lend a helping hand.
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| Aster Wells-Hynes, a high school student from Lincoln, was one of many volunteers. |
Volunteer groups included Middlebury College students in Professor Eric Nelson’s form and structure in sculpture course; third, fifth, and sixth graders from St. Mary’s School in Middlebury; an environmental studies class from the University of Vermont; the Middlebury College women’s swim team; art students from Vergennes High School and Middlebury Union High School; and youngsters from the Mary Johnson Children’s Center. The project was sponsored by the College’s Committee on Art in Public Places, with help from Facilities Services, Public Safety, and Center for the Arts staff.
In conjunction with the project, the Middlebury College Museum of Art has an exhibition up through December 9 called “Art Now,” showing photographs and video documentation drawn from some of Patrick Dougherty’s previous commissions. For more on Patrick Dougherty, visit http://www.stickwork.net.
To learn more about “So Inclined” at Middlebury College, go to http://community.middlebury.edu/~sticks/.
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Students from nearby St. Mary’s School not only helped build the sculpture; they returned a few days later to draw their own sketches. |