Mixed-media artist Amy Tuttle and ceramicist Emily Farison to reinvent Patrick Dougherty’s whimsical willow
In 2018, artist Patrick Dougherty took six tons of willow tree saplings and twisted and turned them – assisted by more than 150 community volunteers – into the whimsical, whirling shapes that became a temporary installation on the Taft Museum of Art‘s front lawn.
Now the time for “Far Flung” at the Taft has come to a close.
Due to the sculpture’s popularity, the Taft Museum is partnering with the Imago Earth Center to ensure the work lives on. Deinstallation began this week, and a new sculpture at Imago Earth Center is expected to begin this September using the willow donated by the Taft.
Imago Earth Center’s installation program commissions sculptures by local artists using natural materials. In this instance, mixed-media artist Amy Tuttle and ceramicist Emily Farison will use the willow to construct a mixed media sunburst titled “Transitions,” also incorporating honeysuckle and clay.
Amy Tuttle Emily Farison
“Its purpose,” says Tuttle, “is to offer homage to the multi-faceted experience of change, seen and unseen, that we undergo as individuals and communities.”
The work will be created to eventually disintegrate over the course of a year, returning to soil on site in keeping with the spirit of Dougherty’s work. The installation process will also be documented and shared with the public, as well as the process of disintegration.
According to Deborah Emont Scott, Louise Taft Semple president/CEO, “The Taft is inspired by our new partnership with Imago Earth Center and excited to support these innovative artists. At the Taft, we love that our art not only lives here, but truly reverberates out into the community.”
About Imago Earth Center
700 Enright Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45205
Started in 1978 by two social workers, Imago Earth Center is an ecological education organization that is rooted in the concept that living in harmony with the natural world is not only good for the planet, but good for ourselves, our families and our communities. Through preservation of urban nature, hands-on green workshops, and education programs for youth, Imago is fostering an exciting, sustainable future that benefits us all.