For three weeks in May 2009, sculptor Patrick Dougherty and a team of volunteers created this installation at the University of Kansas called The Bedazzler. Commissioned by the university’s Spencer Museum of Art, this large-scale sculpture is made of 6,000 pounds of saplings, all of which were harvested for the project from sustainable populations near Lawrence, Kansas.
According to an article from the Topeka Capital-Journal, the elm tree at the center of the sculpture is dying, which is part of the reason Dougherty chose it to be the centerpiece of the sculpture, saying that the sculpture “gave this tree new life.”
Like many of Dougherty’s sapling sculptures, it will remain intact for about two years before it is removed and recycled. The Bedazzler can be found on the University of Kansas campus at the corner of Jayhawk Blvd. and 14th Street.
I was a little disappointed it was so foggy the day we visited Lawrence, but I actually think the fog adds to the sculpture’s mystery. I first saw it from across the street and immediately wanted to get a closer look.
To see photos from other travellers, visit Photo Friday at the family travel blog Delicious Baby.
What do you think of The Bedazzler? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
