First-year student Leah Loostrom grew up on a farm near Gothenburg where she has fond childhood memories of playing with sticks.
The Nebraska Wesleyan University art major, who hopes to one day become an architect, spent the first days of her summer break playing with sticks again.
鈥淭his is a nice change of pace from the classroom,鈥 Loostrom said.
Loostrom joined 10 other Nebraska Wesleyan University art students who spent nearly two weeks manipulating and weaving seven tons of sapling trees and branches into a large-scale installation at a private sculpture garden in Lincoln.
For 15 years, Robert and Karen Duncan have dreamed of adding an infamous stick sculpture to their estate. The stick art first grabbed their attention while visiting Lamar Sculpture Park in St. Louis.
鈥淥nce you see his work, you never forget him,鈥 Karen Duncan said of internationally-acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty. 鈥淲e had to get in line. His work is popular all across the world.鈥
Born in Oklahoma and raised in North Carolina where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in English, Patrick Dougherty led a successful career in hospital and health administration. But a love for nature and carpentry continued to tug at his heartstrings and he returned to college to study art history and sculpture.
That鈥檚 when Dougherty first began experimenting with tree saplings as construction material. His work soon evolved from single pieces on conventional pedestals to monumental scale environmental works, which required saplings by the truckload. Over the last 30 years, Dougherty has built over 230 鈥渟tickwork鈥 exhibits across the world.
He spends approximately three weeks per project, which begins by collecting saplings from the local area. The branches are cleaned and cut then weaved into an artistic masterpiece.
Due to each project鈥檚 size and scale, Dougherty does not work alone. Years ago he sought out volunteers. Now when word gets out that he is working in the area, volunteers are calling him.
鈥淎ll I ask is that they try,鈥 Dougherty said of his volunteers. 鈥淭he responsibility ultimately falls on me.鈥
Last fall Lisa Lockman, Nebraska Wesleyan University professor of art, was visiting with Ann Pagel, curator for the Duncan鈥檚 art collection.
鈥淲hen I heard Patrick Dougherty was building an exhibit in Lincoln, I immediately told her that our students would help,鈥 said Lockman.
Lockman said the experience would provide a wonderful opportunity to work outside of the classroom alongside an internationally-acclaimed artist.
Students worked in two four-hour shifts each day rain or shine, hot or cold. Dougherty taught them to use the sticks as their canvas: bending, breaking, cutting, manipulating and erasing any weaknesses in the structure. Dougherty also used the long hours together to discuss life as a working artist.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 hard for them to envision,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his project makes it real for them. It鈥檚 problem-solving 鈥 what works, what doesn鈥檛 鈥 and having them see the value in what they do.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 like putting together a puzzle, said junior art major Gwendolyn Lopez. 鈥淵ou learn to know the sticks 鈥 what will hold in place and what will hold other sticks in place.鈥
Lopez, who plans to work in an art gallery or museum, didn鈥檛 deny the project鈥檚 challenges.
鈥淪ticks would break and that would get frustrating,鈥 she said. 鈥淪culpture is new to me so this is a good experience.鈥
The collaboration resulted in three side-by-side classical huts named 鈥淭hree Of A Kind鈥.
鈥淚 wanted it to have synergy with the rest of the site, something that was reflective of the Duncan鈥檚 house, a gateway to their place,鈥 said Dougherty.
鈥淲e love it,鈥 said Robert Duncan. 鈥淎nd knowing students were involved is very gratifying.鈥
As the artist and art students finished their work, Dougherty reminded them of the project鈥檚 most important lesson.
鈥淗ands-on learning communicates more than any words could ever convey,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey had a real product at the end of it all but hopefully they got so much more out of it.鈥
For Loostrom the project reinforced her interest in architecture.
鈥淭his project confirmed for me that I do want to become an architect and create buildings that people can walk through and enjoy for a lifetime,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut this wasn鈥檛 just about the sticks. I鈥檓 leaving with some great advice and life pointers. This project continued to remind me of the importance of striving for your goals.鈥