Garden art

Acclaimed artist comes to Fort Worth to sculpt something cool out of sticks and twigs

Will it look like this? Nobody knows.

Courtesy photo

There's an artwork coming to Fort Worth that is so unusual, not even the artist knows what it will be yet.

Beginning February 1, nationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty will be twisting, weaving, and shaping every child's favorite outdoor collectible — sticks — until they become a towering sculpture of some sort in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's Fuller Garden.

North Carolina-based Dougherty calls these whimsical creations (what else?) Stickwork, and he's created them in more than 300 locations around the world, from Japan to Belgium, notes a release from the city of Fort Worth. He created this one for Austin's Pease Park Conservatory in 2018.

“We are delighted to have Patrick Dougherty bring his distinctive form of outdoor installation art to Fort Worth,” says the garden's executive director and president Ed Schneider in the release. “I can’t wait to see what he creates here — it’s sure to be unexpected.”

Aided by a team of volunteers, Dougherty picks up the sticks and weaves, winds, and twists them into huts, nests, cocoons, towers, or mazes. Rather than sketch or pre-plan his pieces, Dougherty uses the process itself to draw inspiration. The natural materials serve as conduits through which the piece eventually appears, and each volunteer lends shape to the sculpture.

"One thing can be certain: The resulting creation will be as unique as the garden and as rooted in the landscape of Fort Worth," the release says.

For the Austin installation, Dougherty used seven truckloads of willow, elm, and ash sticks and saplings harvested from the Texas Hill Country town of Stonewall to construct four whimsical huts in the middle of a park.

Dougherty's Stickwork pieces stay on display for as long as Mother Nature intends, meaning that rather than break down the huts, the artist allows the elements to envelop the sculpture, a process that can take anywhere from 18 months to three years.

"Once it is completed, the Stickwork, whatever it might be, will remain in the Garden for guests to explore for as long as it survives the wind and weather," the Fort Worth release notes.

Dougherty will begin creating his structure February 1 and work through the month; he invites visitors to view himself and the volunteers as they work.

The sculpture exhibit viewing will be included with the price of general admission, and members receive free entry. The garden is currently open 8 am-5 pm daily. For more information, visit the website.

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Katie Friel contributed to this story.

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Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

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