When Patrick Dougherty, a world renowned environmental artist, gave a lecture at Ball State University in the Architecture Building Wednesday, all seats in the room were filled.
Dougherty spoke about his personal history as an environmental artist and presented a slide show showcasing works from throughout his career. Dougherty’s lecture was titled “Primitive Ways in an Accelerated World.“
Dougherty stressed the lessons he has learned throughout his career.
“Learn to accept what you do each day,” he said, explaining he had to learn to be happy with what he accomplished each day.
He also said he learned to be responsible for what he did as he was the one who created it, and it was important to learn what you like and don’t like.
Dougherty said he always loved working with his hands, which led him to his career choice to become an artist.
His artwork involves taking any kind of tree saplings from the area he’s working in and weaving them together to make sculptures. He said looking at nature inspired him to create his unique sculptures.
Dougherty’s work isn’t permanent, and he said this “allows me to put sculptures in places that nobody else could.”
He showed a picture of a sculpture in which he encased a living tree with saplings. There were still a few branches poking out of the cocoon, but otherwise the tree was completely covered up.
Dougherty said he had to learn to build with what he had.
“Need is important for creating,” he said.
Dougherty has degrees from Iowa and North Carolina and has done work on three continents, but still makes his home in North Carolina, where he actually lives in a simple log cabin that he built himself.
Some examples of Dougherty’s work are on display around Indiana. He said one of his favorite pieces, “Common Ground,” is located in New Harmony. His latest sculpture, titled “Still Life with Sticks,” is even closer, located in the Artspark in Broad Ripple, part of the Indianapolis Art Center. His Web site, http://www.stickwork.net, also displays many of his sculptures.
His lecture was jointly sponsored by the College of Architecture and Planning and Minnetrista.
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