Day 16 & 17 with Dougherty: On the Wild Side

We all knew this moment would come; the feeling that “it’s all gone by so fast!”

In the final days of sculpture installation, crew members clipped, fastened, mulched, and made time to just stand back and relish in the final touches of the near 80 x 20 x 20 sculpture cooperatively named “On the Wild Side.” On Thursday, September 22, Patrick hosted a “Dinner with Dougherty” benefit at the Hui where he shared colorful anecdotes about his time and work at the Hui with 50 project supporters. Friday, September 23, marked the blessing and opening celebration of the final sculpture, marking a new beginning for Ho`ololi: the Environmental Art Garden – a new public art program that will to continue to cultivate community and raise awareness about Hawai‘i’s endangered ecosystems by inspiring conversation, encouraging public participation, and creating fellowship between artists and environmentalists.

The free opening celebration was attended by nearly 300 guests and featured information booths for conservationist groups like Community Work Day, East Maui Watershed Partnership Partnership, Leeward Haleakala Watershed Partnership and Maui Invasive Species Committee; a lei making workshop led by our very own Jessica Hoecker; live music by Hawaiian slack key guitarist John “Keoni” Trino; and artist meet-and-greets of those featured in the current Visualizing Green exhibition in the main gallery.

Mahalo to our day 16 & 17 crew:
Bill Worcester
Carla Thistle
Claudio Johnson
Ed Weller
Elaine
Frank Kane
Janet Davis
Jenn Atkinson
Joan Nielsen
Kim Harter
Linda Schenk
Nathalie Nunez
Patrick Dougherty
Rachel Ray
Ryan Rea
Tara Branham

ABOUT: Guided by legendary Stickwork sculptor Patrick Dougherty, who has completed more than 200 such installations worldwide, nearly 200 volunteers worked closely together for 17 days to remove thousands of saplings of invasive strawberry guava, white ash and eucalyptus from protected forest areas; transport them to the Hui; dig deep holes in the ground to firmly lodge base saplings; and bend, twist and weave together what slowly evolved into a piece Dougherty aptly named “On the Wild Side.” A project developed over the course of 2 years, this large-scale masterpiece was made possible by hundreds of inspired donors, volunteers, collaborators, and other supporters. The projected lifespan of this sculpture is 3 years (September 2011 – September 2014).