To kick off celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Botanic Garden’s original 1820 charter, the US Botanical Garden (USBG) is collaborating with renowned stickwork artist Patrick Dougherty to create a custom sculpture to stand throughout the 2020 celebratory year. Dougherty, who hails from North Carolina, is known around the world for his installations woven from plant materials, which celebrate nature through both materials and visually flowing lines. Over 30 years, he has built more than 250 stickwork sculptures, from Scotland to Japan to all over the United States. DC-area residents might remember his gallery-filling installation in the popular “Wonder” exhibit at the reopening of Renwick Gallery. Volunteers and USBG employees have worked more than 200 shifts with Dougherty and his team over three weeks to create the unique installation, which was completed on Oct. 25. Visitors are now able to touch and explore this nature-inspired plant artwork installation. usbg.gov.
