Taking shape

Museum gets new outdoor look as Stickwork takes center stage

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BROOKINGS – The Children’s Museum of South Dakota is getting a fresh look to its already colorful outdoor prairie play center. Stickwork, a sculpture created by North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty, is under construction and set to open at 5:30 p.m. May 25.

“What we try to do is make something that’s exciting, makes kids want to run over to look at it, walk through it, and maybe get inspired to make something at home,” Dougherty said.

Over the past 30 years, Dougherty has built more than 250 stick sculptures, with his work gaining worldwide fame. He’s built sculptures in places like Scotland, Japan and Brussels, plus numerous sites throughout the United States.

From start to finish, the work takes approximately three weeks to complete using tons of sticks in different sizes. Dougherty guessed he uses up to six tons worth of sticks for each piece.

This type of art takes plenty of helping hands, which means multiple volunteers. People helping with the sculpture is one way Dougherty connects with each community he visits.

“I use volunteers in my work. That helps me kind of understand the community a bit and gives a vested interest in the community and the sculpture,” he said.

Dougherty said it would be hard to hate a sculpture when your neighbors are working on it.

CMSD Executive Director Kate Treiber said that the volunteer process wasn’t an easy one. The sculpture has had helpers from as far away as the San Francisco Bay area and San Antonio, plus plenty of Brookings residents.

“It’s been amazing to see the different ages and people from different walks of life to come and work collectively on something that’s greater than themselves,” she said.

South Dakota State University student Haley Hansen decided to join the project after hearing about it from one of her professors late in the school year. She knew the kind of work would be physically demanding, but the unexpected thought process took Hansen by surprise.

“You have to sit and kind of think where you’re going to put this stick … it’s interesting having to think about how to place it and follow the lines,” she said. “I don’t know how to put it into words. It’s something so different than you’ve seen before … the first impression you get is ‘wow’ right away.”  

Bringing Dougherty to Brookings was a long process. About three years ago, the CMSD board of directors wanted to bring in a new natural installation to celebrate the South Dakota prairie. It took about two years on his waiting list for Dougherty to finally come to Brookings.

Treiber thinks that the new sculpture will have positive influence on the museum.

“This will continue to impact the guests who come and visit us every day in a new creative way,” she said. “They can still explore, discover and play, which is what we want them to do in the museum. Now they can do it with this element out on our prairie for the next two to three years.”

The exact time the museum thinks that the sculpture will stay is up in the air because it’s exposed to the elements. Anywhere from two to three years is the estimate.

Museum officials are hoping for the sticks to eventually root in the ground to provide some more structure. There are plans for maintenance to be done on the project as Dougherty moves on to his next project, in hopes of keeping it as long as possible.

As for Dougherty, he and his son, Sam, who also serves as his assistant, will take one week off before moving on to their next project. They’ll head to Montréal to complete two more structures this summer.

The museum’s Sticks and Stones celebration is set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25, on its outdoor prairie. In addition to the grand opening of the Dougherty sculpture, attendees will celebrate the 6 p.m. dedication of the Music Meadow to Suzanne Hegg, founding executive director of the museum.

The May 25 events are free and open to the public, but indoor exhibits will be closed at that time.