Sculpture at Bowdoin College to be dismantled

BRUNSWICK – An outdoor sculpture at Bowdoin College that was assembled from saplings, branches and twigs has been living on borrowed time and is about to be dismantled.

The sculpture, which has delighted youngsters and adults alike, was never intended to stand indefinitely, said Alison Ferris, curator of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

The sculpture was created nearly two years ago by Patrick Dougherty of North Carolina, who is known internationally for his environmental sculptures.

With help from the college community, Dougherty erected the structure in September 2001. Construction was just beginning when terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C., giving purpose to the 30 to 40 students, faculty, staff and community members who gathered on the college quad to help. The structure’s name, “Simple Pleasures,” relates to the sense of accomplishment, commitment and hope that emboldened the workers, Ferris says.

“We felt very grateful to have the opportunity to make something collaboratively while this horrible thing was happening. So I am going to be very sad [when it comes down],” she said.

The sculpture, assembled among existing trees, features five cones and has open spaces that resemble doors, allowing people to wander inside. While serving as a contemplative place for adults, the sculpture has filled other purposes. Birds have nested and schoolchildren have turned it into a playground for games of hide-and-seek and for climbing.

The original idea was to dismantle the sculpture after one semester, but protests from the public persuaded museum and college administrators to keep it standing. At first, they agreed to keep it through one winter season, then later decided to extend its life through the academic year that just ended.

There had been talk of a ceremony to mark the sculpture’s removal, but as of last week nothing had been scheduled. Instead, it likely will be taken down with little fanfare, museum officials say.

Ferris said keeping the sculpture is not an option. Dougherty built it under the assumption it would stand only a semester, she said, and given its extended life already, it’s time for the sculpture to come down.

“It was never meant to live forever,” she said.