Lookin' Good! Lookin' Good!
A Site-Specific Sculpture
Constructed March 2-19, 2009:Exhibited through May 9,2010
Sponsored by: The James W. Wilson, Jr. and Wynona W. Wilson Family Foundation, and Wachovia Foundation, with special thanks to the children of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Peacock, Jr.
Patrick Dougherty has made about 200 site-specific sculptures from saplings over the past two decades. He has worked in museums, parks, and gardens around the world to create temporary art that often resembles children's tree forts, bird's nests, and primitive dwellings. He says, "You get one great year, and one pretty good one" from his sculptures. Once they begin to deteriorate, they are removed and destroyed, often by composting.
To title the work at the MMFA, the artist chose an expression repeated by the museum's chief of security, who ambled around the site throughout its construction. Typical of site-specific public sculpture, the artist was responsive to his surroundings, taking design cues from the dome, cornice, and windows of the building, as well as the covered walkway opposite the museum's main entrance. Once he harvested the 140 big sticks that he set in two-foot deep holes in the ground, he decided to try something he had not done before - to make the domes from the ends of those sticks (the extended branches) rather than by adding short sticks. Due to the design, materials, and volunteer assistance (approximately 1000 work hours total), the result is a unique, one of a kind observation by the artist that initiates a visual dialogue with the museum building.
We appreciate the assistance of the many volunteers who help to create this sculpture.
For a photo slideshow of the installation, see our photo gallery.
See Patrick Dougherty's website at www.stickwork.net