The community is invited to a farewell celebration of Ketchum’s beloved Patrick Dougherty sculpture Centerpiece (often called “The Willow Houses”). The installation, which The Center commissioned five years ago, will receive a bonfire sendoff on Thursday, May 21, at 5pm, at its site on The Center lot across from the Ketchum Post Office.

Dougherty is world-renowned for his sculptures, which he builds using local wood resources. Teams of more than 30 volunteers helped Dougherty harvest truckloads of willows and weave them into Centerpiece.

Though many Wood River Valley locals and visitors will be sorry to see the Willow Houses go, a natural life cycle is a central element of Dougherty’s work. He uses organic materials, which eventually decay, and doesn’t intend for his sculptures to be permanent. Dougherty asks institutions to take down each structure several years into its existence.  Of his sculptures, he has said, “I think that part of my work’s allure is its impermanence. … My focus has always been the process of building a work and allowing those who pass to enjoy the daily changes or drama of building a sculpture as well as the final product. However, the line between trash and treasure is thin, and the sculptures, like the sticks they are made from, begin to fade after two years.  Often the public imagines that a work of art should be made to last, but I believe that a sculpture, like a good flower bed, has its season.”

“Most of Dougherty’s work comes down after about 3 years,” said Kristin Poole, Artistic Director at The Center.  “We have been lucky to keep the sculpture up for five years as the community has embraced it.  While we are sad to see it go, we appreciate Patrick’s approach to using natural elements—that have a specific lifespan—for artistic purpose.

The Center invites the community to celebrate the sculpture and honor the volunteer work that went into building it with a community gathering and bonfire on Thursday, May 21. The fire will be lit at 5pm. Refreshments will be served. Free and open to the public.