The Rambles by Patrick Dougherty
Summer 2009 through
March 2012
North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty has created his monumental sculptures all over the world, but had never worked in Connecticut – until creating The Rambles for the Florence Griswold Museum in 2009.
Sculptor Patrick Dougherty, who has created large-scale environmental installations all over the world, spent three weeks weaving 6 tons of native birch and bayberry saplings together to form The Rambles. The sculpture, which was 21 feet tall and over 1,000 square feet, overlooked the Lieutenant River and could be seen from most points on the site’s twelve acres. Nearly 100 volunteers helped in the construction process.
Most of Dougherty’s works are temporary, weathering the change of seasons and enduring the elements for one to two years. Sculptor Patrick Dougherty predicts that his sculptures, which are not intended to be permanent, will last about two years. As he puts it, “You get one great year and one pretty good year.” To the delight of visitors, The Rambles lasted well over two years, including withstanding Hurricane Irene in late August 2011. However, by February 2012, wind, weather, and the process of drying had taken their toll on the cut wood that made up The Rambles. The breakdown of the western side, overall brittleness, and the collapse of the front screen of columns led us to decide to take down the sculpture in early March when it no longer seemed safe to leave it standing.
