"Fly Away Home" by Patrick Dougherty, 2022. Photography by Kurt Hilton  

Community Residency & Sapling Sculpture Project

Artist Patrick Dougherty led a community art project to create a monumental willow sculpture. Known as the “Stick Wizard”, Dougherty has made willow sculptures all over the world - and now Cary! Dougherty lives in Chapel Hill, NC and his "internationally renowned art manages to make a permanent impact with a temporary footprint. It never strays very far from the notion that one day the wind will blow and this will all be gone –but not before we get a chance to revel in it.” -Jim Moriarty, Pine Straw Magazine

In March of 2022, Patrick Dougherty led a community art project to create a monumental willow sculpture. Volunteers came from all over Cary, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel-Hill, and even as far as Michigan to help create this colossal woven sculpture. About 10,000 lbs of willow saplings arrived on a large truck which had the long trek from Quebec, Canada. The willow Patrick Dougherty uses and used for the Cary project, if not harvested locally, comes from a willow farm in Canada that grows willows for fences, basketmaking, bio fuels, and planting of willows on degraded sites. With the help of Public Works staff, the massive amount of willow was dismantled and brought to the site at Carpenter Park. The first week was full of drastic changes: what initially looked like large squiggles spray-painted on the ground, became the outline of the perimeter of the sculpture. Holes were dug along the perimeter to hold the larger willow saplings in place, and these became the framework and supporting structure. From there, smaller willow saplings were strategically woven to create the sturdy yet beautifully organic walls that stand now. Through cold March rain showers and warm days hinting at spring just around the corner, Dougherty, his son Sam, and their team of star volunteers worked tirelessly for 3 weeks to create both a community work of art and a playful addition to the park.

Did you know?

This willow grower specialized in the cultivation of willows and in the development of vegetated environmental technologies since 2006.  It has a nursery recognized as part of the AFC 2 billion tree planting project. 

The company (Group Ramo) is a circular economy model: Production of cuttings, planting of willows on degraded sites, recovery of wastewater, management of fertilizing residual materials, manufacture of fences and noise barriers, erosion projects and production of RCW mulch. 

Close Ties, 2006. Photo by Finn McCrea. Dingwall, Scotland.

The predominant environmental benefit from utilizing willow biomass as an energy source is a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by the combustion or conversion of willow biomass to energy is the same CO2 absorbed by the plant during its growing period, making this a CO2 neutral process. In addition to reduced GHG emissions, there are other characteristics of the perennial crop that make it environmentally friendly. The bird diversity in a willow field is similar to that of an early-successional forest. Due to its extensive root system, willow crops can help maintain and improve soil conditions in barren fields by reducing erosion, improving nutrient cycling, and in turn, increase soil biodiversity. In addition, these characteristics make shrub willow very useful for phytoremediation, riparian buffers, and stream bank restoration. 

The Cultivation of Shrub Willow has its origins in the United States began in the 1840s by immigrants in central New York and Pennsylvania. By the late 1800s cultivation of willows for basketry and furniture had spread from the shores of Maryland to the western borders of Wisconsin and Illinois. By the early 1900s, New York State dominated willow cultivation in the United States, with 60% of the total reported area, and about 45% of the income generated from willow products. However, as the demand for willow baskets dropped off rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s, only pockets of willow cultivation remained. The cultivation of willow was revitalized in upstate New York in the mid 1980s at SUNY-ESF. The focus was research on the production of willow as a locally produced, renewable, lignocellulosic feedstock for bioproducts and bioenergy. Over the last 20 years, numerous organizations have teamed up with the goal of facilitating the commercialization of willow biomass crops in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States.   The Cultivation of Shrub Willowhas its originsinthe United States began in the 1840s by immigrants in central New York and Pennsylvania.By the late 1800s cultivation of willows for basketry and furniture had spread from the shores of Maryland to the western borders of Wisconsin and Illinois. By the early 1900s, New York State dominated willow cultivation in the United States, with 60% of the total reported area, and about 45% of the income generated from willow products. However, as the demand for willow baskets dropped off rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s, only pockets of willow cultivation remained. The cultivation of willow was revitalized in upstate New York in the mid 1980s at SUNY-ESF. The focus was research on the production of willow as a locally produced, renewable, lignocellulosic feedstock for bioproducts and bioenergy. Over the last 20 years, numerous organizations have teamed up with the goal of facilitating the commercialization of willow biomass crops in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States.

Learn more about Patrick Dougherty's work at his website.

In the news, "The 'Stick Wizard'" Comes to Cary" by Cary Magazine. Jan 24, 2022

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