Many thanks to Cee’s Photography for this challenge.

These photos were taken at The Bascom, a center for visual arts in Highlands, NC. The gallery was closed when we arrived, so we walked around to see what we could see outside on the grounds. It was all quite fascinating, with an outdoor classroom, a nature trail used by students for observation, several iron sculptures made from recycled tools and parts, clay sculptures awaiting firing, and some wood sculptures as well.

The Bascom, Highlands, NC, 2014

Will Henry Stevens Covered Bridge, Highlands, North Carolina, 2014

Corn Crib, circa 1849

Do Tell, created 2010, photographed 2014

Do Tell, getting a closer look

From a sign posted near the sculpture in the photographs above:

Patrick Dougherty, American, b. 1945 in Oklahoma

Do Tell, 2010

Site-specific sculpture constructed of hardwood saplings including maple, beech, birch, elm, ash, and hazel.

Combining his carpentry skills with a love of nature and primitive techniques of building, Dougherty and 75 volunteers from the region constructed Do Tell in three weeks, accumulating over 800 hours of volunteer time. To date, Dougherty has built over 200 massive sculptures all over the world.

“The sculpture’s 15 sides or facets or facades have two eye-like or window openings at the top and mouth-like door openings at the bottom. On each panel there is a suggestion of a face. The sculpture’s facets or walls spiral inward. There is mystery in this piece. You cannot see it fully from any one vantage point. This is a work of art that you must circle around and enter into in order to discover all of its features. The title Do Tell suggests that mystery. Do Tell invites the viewer to come closer and have a deeper experience.”

— Patrick Dougherty