An artist has to be pretty famous to create work that's recognized by complete strangers at random moments. Or he might just be in the exact right place for the audience most receptive to his work. Such is the case with Patrick Dougherty, Cheekwood's current artist in residence. While I stood by watching him work the other day, as he prepared a new installation, at least two different passers-by recognized his work in the span of about 15 minutes. One had seen his art in Australia, of all places. The only things the fans had in common? They both liked Dougherty's work, and they both happened to be visiting Cheekwood the same day.
If that tells you anything, it's that Cheekwood certainly knows its audience. Dougherty was both modest and unsurprised, telling the visitors that, yes, he'd made a similar piece in Melbourne in 2012; and yes, that was also his work at the North Carolina Zoo. If this microcosm of Cheekwood attendance is to be believed, Dougherty's Little Bitty Pretty One is sure to be the crowd-pleaser the institution has looked toward ever since it struck gold with 2010's Dale Chihuly bonanza. But visitors dreading garish decadence — as in last year's Bruce Munro light installation — might be pleasantly surprised by Doughterty's delicate, wistful construction.
That's not to say that Dougherty's piece is subtle. It's nearly the size of a two-story home, constructed over a three-week period with the help of as many as six volunteers at a time. Imagine a set piece from the fantastical but oversized world of Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are that's sturdy enough for (monitored) children to climb around, then put it smack in the middle of Cheekwood's lush grounds, near the Japanese garden and within view of the walkway that leads to the museum. If Munro's Light was Cheekwood's Baz Luhrmann, Little Bitty Pretty One may be its Peter Jackson.
Dougherty has been making similar work since the early 1980s, and he has upcoming projects in various locales every month until the end of the season, plus two this winter. At almost 70 years old, with a head full of bright white hair, he climbs scaffolding with volunteers a fraction of his age, bending saplings with his hands like some kind of woodland Thor.
If Dougherty seems like an unusual choice for an artist in residence — a position usually held by less developed artists looking for a stipend that gives them the freedom to explore their work and the community — he is. But Cheekwood's never played by traditional rules. It's like the Pinewood Social of art institutions: a botanical garden, a museum, a wedding venue, a place to partake in questionable exercise (as in Friday's stroller-assisted aerobics classes). Last year's More Love exhibit, with its works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Louise Bourgeois, was one of the highlights of Nashville's contemporary art calendar.
Little Bitty Pretty One falls somewhere in the middle of all that. It's part garden sculpture, part pretty background object, part weirdo conversation starter. Cheekwood's not breaking any new ground with this piece, but with so many hats to wear, perhaps playing it safe is the beloved institution's best option.
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