The Adirondacks' New Giant Resident: Meet Patrick Sapling at The Wild Center
The Wild Center in Tupper Lake has a new giant resident to welcome visitors to the Adirondacks. Patrick Sapling, a permanent troll sculpture created by internationally acclaimed Danish artist Thomas Dambo, has officially made his home at the museum.
The new sculpture joins a traveling troll exhibition on display at The Wild Center through October 31, 2026, giving people even more reason to explore the 115-acre campus this fall.
Meet Patrick Sapling, The Wild Center's New Troll
Patrick Sapling is more than just a giant sculpture. The troll depicts a figure kneeling among Adirondack boulders with its eyes closed while lifting a living sugar maple tree toward the sun. This unique design represents ideas of planting, offering, and hope while connecting the sculpture to the natural landscape surrounding The Wild Center.
The sculpture was created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, whose larger-than-life trolls have been installed in natural and cultural spaces around the world. Patrick Sapling was built primarily from reclaimed and recycled materials, including salvaged lumber, sawmill offcuts, locally sourced branches, and donated hardwood.
The Story Behind Patrick Sapling
The new troll's name pays tribute to Patrick Dougherty, an American sculptor known for creating large-scale works from living tree saplings. Dambo met Dougherty in North Carolina last year before visiting The Wild Center, which is home to one of Dougherty's permanent installations, Hopscotch. That meeting helped inspire the story and name behind Patrick Sapling.
According to The Wild Center, the sculpture represents the relationship between generations and the responsibility to nurture something new and leave something meaningful behind. Dambo also created an original poem for Patrick Sapling that visitors can read at the sculpture site.
A First For New York
Patrick Sapling is the 191st giant troll sculpture created by Thomas Dambo and his first permanent troll in New York State. Dambo has created sculptures across five continents, with his work encouraging visitors to explore outdoor spaces while seeing how recycled materials can be transformed into art.
"Millions of people around the world plan trips around finding these trolls," said Nick Gunn, The Wild Center's Director of Marketing and Visitor Experience, in a press release. "Now, when they look at the map of New York, it will point them to the Adirondacks."
The Trolls Are Still At The Wild Center
The Wild Center is already hosting TROLLS: Save the Humans, a traveling exhibition featuring six of Dambo's larger-than-life sculptures throughout the museum's 115-acre campus. The exhibition is scheduled to remain at The Wild Center through October 31, 2026.
While the six sculptures from the traveling exhibition will eventually move on to their next destination, Patrick Sapling will remain at The Wild Center as a permanent part of the Adirondack landscape.
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