Whimsical, Whirling and Off to a New Home!

The Taft Museum of Art was home to a unique fantasy experience brought to life by world-renowned sculptor Patrick Dougherty. Dougherty took six tons of willow tree saplings and twisted and turned them—with the amazing help of more than 150 community volunteers—into whimsical, whirling shapes.

Learn more about its next home at the Imago Earth Center!

Learn About Our Partnership with Imago

Due to the popularity of Patrick Dougherty’s Far Flung sculpture, the Taft Museum of Art partnered with the Imago Earth Center to ensure the work lives on. Deinstallation of the willow sculpture began August 2020 and a new sculpture at Imago Earth Center was constructed in September 2020 using the willow donated by the Taft.

Imago Earth Center’s installation program commissions sculptures by local artists using natural materials, including mixed-media artist Amy Tuttle and ceramicist Emily Farison who will use willow from Far Flung to construct a mixed media sunburst titled Transitions also incorporating honeysuckle and clay. “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 has been 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.