Stickwork woven-branch sculpture Horseshoe Bay Farms

Step between woven towers of willow saplings and you are inside a work of art that was never meant to last. Happy Go Lucky stands behind a century-old stone wall at Horseshoe Bay Farms, a historic farm complex about three miles south of Egg Harbor in Door County, Wisconsin. Horseshoe Bay Farms commissioned North Carolina sculptor Patrick Dougherty, who built it in June 2022 with his son Sam and about 30 volunteers. Door County Pulse reported that volunteers gathered willow from properties in central and southern Door County and wove it around hardwood poles set in the ground, following Dougherty's design. The piece was added to draw people to the farm's grounds and gardens. Dougherty's works typically have several structures with walkways and windows so that visitors never feel trapped, and Door County Pulse likened its peaks to four primitive huts, while Dougherty spoke of five towers. Reported size varies: Door County Pulse gives 25 feet tall, while Dougherty told Fox 11 in 2022 that it was about 32 feet around and 18 feet high. Dougherty has made well over 300 such installations over about four decades. Stickwork is temporary by design: farm tour leader Scott Stern told Door County Pulse in 2023 it should last about three years, with Virginia creeper plantings expected to strengthen it. A July 2026 Colossal article says its writer found it already colonized by Virginia creeper vines. Horseshoe Bay Farms lists the piece as open to visit daily from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in its 2026 season, which ends October 25; donations are appreciated.