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| Chicago Botanic Garden, Jan. 1, 2023 |
Call us crazy. But my wife and I continue to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden throughout the winter. Yes, it's less glorious than in springtime with its explosion of colors. Far less warm than in summer. And none of the golden muted palette of fall with its spicy brown autumnal smells. But the garden in winter has a unique austere beauty. Not to forget far fewer people and, as Sartre reminds us, "Hell is other people."
This is also the first winter with Patrick Dougherty's installation, "The Rookery," the star of the summertime, "Flourish: The Garden at 50" celebration marking the CBG's first half century. I loved catching sight of the little fairy castle made of willow saplings, an homage to the North Carolina woodlands of Dougherty's childhood. Some of the woven willow branches seem living, sending off green shoots. I enjoyed showing the castle off to guests, and felt sad that it would vanish with the summer 50th anniversary festivities.
This is also the first winter with Patrick Dougherty's installation, "The Rookery," the star of the summertime, "Flourish: The Garden at 50" celebration marking the CBG's first half century. I loved catching sight of the little fairy castle made of willow saplings, an homage to the North Carolina woodlands of Dougherty's childhood. Some of the woven willow branches seem living, sending off green shoots. I enjoyed showing the castle off to guests, and felt sad that it would vanish with the summer 50th anniversary festivities.
Then it didn't. We were surprised by that. All the other artworks were removed, The Rookery stayed.
I wondered if that was always the intention, or a spontaneous call, perhaps a reaction to how tremendously cool the piece is. So I asked. Turns out that was the plan all along.
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| The Rookery in summer. |
“We knew Patrick Dougherty’s creations held up well at other sites where he’s worked, so we planned for The Rookery to remain at the Garden following the completion of Flourish," said Jodi Zombolo, Associate Vice President, Visitor Events & Programs. "This type of installation is a great fit in its location here at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and we encourage visitors to regularly return to enjoy The Rookery and experience it in different seasons.”
Which is where I'm going with this. I haven't yet gotten back to see it covered with snow — this weekend would have been perfect, but other responsibilities intruded. We'll make a point to do so at the next opportunity.
In the meantime, I was browsing through my photo file and came upon this. In the summer of 2016, our oldest boy was interning at a Washington D.C. think tank, and of course we went to visit him in his Potomac exile. We impulsively visited the Corcoran Gallery, one of the smaller museums in DC, featuring contemporary art. There I photographed — then promptly forgot — this installation by Dougherty. I don't want to say setting is everything. But the Chicago Botanic Garden certainly did seem to inspire him to greater heights. Anyway, congrats to the garden for bringing him in, and double congratulations for realizing that the Rookery is too fun an addition to let go just yet. 
Yeah, we enjoyed the The Rookery a lot. The way it invites exploration is a bonus. Seeing it covered in snow would be cool, and I'm glad they've left it up. Did the woman you spoke to indicate how long it is to remain in place?
ReplyDeleteWhile it is clearly significantly smaller, given its setting, just from the photo I'd say I like the Corcoran piece better than most contemporary art I see.
Patrick Dougherty’s art been featured in more than 300 locations around the world, from Scotland to Japan to Brussels. Before my wife and I experienced "The Rookery" last summer, we enjoyed one of his installations at the Holden Arboretum, east of Cleveland, a couple of years ago.
ReplyDelete"Stickwork" wasn't a fairy castle, though. It was a whimsical maze, designed and built to last only a couple of autumn months. But it stood for over a year longer than expected and drew tens of thousands of visitors. Eventually, "Stickwork" began to naturally decay, and it was dismantled at the end of October. Would have made one helluva big Halloween bonfire, and I'd have paid to watch it burn.