Art Utopia Wiki

O Say Can You See

Patrick Dougherty’s stickwork sculpture at the U.S. Botanic Garden: tall, curving rooms woven from thousands of thin bare saplings, with arched openings, under a gray sky
Artwork FileWashington, D.C., USA

O Say Can You See

Gone2022

Patrick Dougherty · U.S. Botanic Garden, Washington, D.C., United States

Photo: Dragon Librarian / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), 21 December 2019; from the SAU archive.

Patrick Dougherty wove O Say Can You See from saplings at the U.S. Botanic Garden in October 2019, for the Garden’s 200th anniversary. Planned to stay through the end of December 2020, it was kept on view until 30 September 2022. Source Source Checked

Gone 2022. The Garden lists the sculpture as on display 1 October 2019 – 30 September 2022 and now shows it among past exhibits. Source Checked

💡 4 things to know

  1. Harvested nearbyThe Garden used Norway maple, Siberian elm and non-native cherry harvested from invasive plants in the area, plus farm-grown willow. Source Checked
  2. Built by many handsVolunteers and staff worked more than 200 shifts with Dougherty’s team. Source Checked
  3. Three weeks of weavingThe build began on 7 October and was to be complete on 25 October 2019. Source Checked
  4. Kept longer than plannedPlanned to stay through the end of December 2020, it was kept on view until 30 September 2022. Source Source Checked

📍 Where it is

U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Avenue SW · Washington, D.C., United States Source Checked

Open in Maps

Map pin is approximate; use the named site or address to locate the subject.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 201915 Oct

    Garden on the build

  2. 201923 Oct

    Reported complete

  3. 201921 Dec

    Photo by Dragon Librarian

  4. 202230 Sep

    Garden lists end of display

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Artist
Patrick Dougherty Source Checked
Occasion
U.S. Botanic Garden 200th anniversary Source Checked
Built
7–25 October 2019 Source Checked
Materials
Maple, elm and cherry saplings, plus willow Source Checked
On view
1 October 2019 – 30 September 2022 (first planned through December 2020) Source Source Checked
Status
Gone; the Garden lists the display as ended 30 September 2022 Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Photo: Dragon Librarian / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), 21 December 2019; from the SAU archive.

Last checked: 27 October 2026 · How we verify art