Just outside the library doors, thousands of intertwined willow tree saplings form A restless spell—a fantastical sculpture built by North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty with the help of more than 110 USU students, faculty, and community member volunteers. Dougherty has built more than 280 sculptures around the globe over the last 30 years. USU’s whimsical sculpture came together in under three weeks and should last for about two years. A restless spell invites people to interact with the art piece and often invokes a similar reaction: delight.

One October afternoon, children ran through the sculpture, squealing in laughter as they told their parents they want their homes to be more like it. Tori Sabaitis, a junior studying technology systems, and Luke Hansen, a sophomore studying human biology, chuckle as they confess, “we turned it into our house.” As they wander through the sculpture they imagine which room was their living room, kitchen, and where their bedrooms lie.

“Luke didn’t come with us when our friends came here the first time, so the smallest room goes to Luke,” Tori jokes.

Come experience it for yourself.

By Keilani Merrell ’18

Details:

What: An interactive art installation by sculpture artist Patrick Dougherty.

Where: Outside the Merrill-Cazier Library.