Patrick Dougherty is an artist based in Chapel Hill, NC. Using tree saplings as construction material, Dougherty employs primitive building techniques along with innovative weaving methods to create impressive works. His work quickly evolved from single pieces on conventional pedestals to monumental scale environmental works, which required saplings by the truckloads. In over thirty years, he has built more than 300 large-scale works and is internationally acclaimed. His sculpture has been seen worldwide - from Scotland to Japan to Brussels, and all over the United States. Dougherty has received numerous awards, including the 2011 Factor Prize for Southern Art, North Carolina Artist Fellowship Award, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Henry Moore Foundation Fellowship, Japan-US Creative Arts Fellowship, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. In 2023, Dougherty was awarded the prestigious North Carolina Award for Fine Arts—the state’s highest civilian honor.
