Go Outdoors! - Art In The Park by Yetti Frenkel

"Go Outdoors" Art by Yetti Frenkel

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

42.4584552, -71.3336304

Significance:

Go Outdoors is a beautifully crafted recycled door, painted by artist Yetti Frenkel. The door evokes the artists’ memories of children’s books and combines words and images into a portal with qualities of whimsy and magic. “The door is my tribute to my parents and all the wonderful hours they spent reading to me, and the joy those memories still bring.”

Designation:

Art In The Park

Amenities

1 listed

Parking - Auto

Artist: Yetti Frenkel

Artist Statement:

Like many people, I cherish the picture books I loved as a child. The combination of words and pictures on paper had a special quality that cannot be replaced by the computer screen or tablet. When I saw the call for artists to design a door for the Minuteman National Park, I immediately thought of combining words and images to make a poetry door, a portal that would have a quality of whimsy and magic. The door is my tribute to my parents and all the wonderful hours they spent reading to me, and the joy those memories still bring.

Artist Bio:

I love story-telling, and my artistic work often contains a narrative quality and implied story. For thirty-five years my inspiration was my home town of Lynn, Massachusetts, where I documented scenes of everyday life in the tradition of the Ash Can School. Other series include scenes of commuters on the subway, grooms at Suffolk Downs, and performers I knew when I worked for the Big Apple Circus. These images are created in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil, and pastel.

My public artwork includes murals for the children’s departments of nine public libraries, and murals and mosaics for communities and organizations. My sculptural work has been displayed in numerous locations in New England. These include bronzes and sculptural mosaics.

What is this project? : 

Inspired by the En Plein Air exhibition on NYC's High Line, Go Out Doors - Neighbors builds upon and extends The Umbrella Arts Center's summer 2020 installation of artfully upcycled doors originally commissioned for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in West Concord's Cultural District. The exhibition intended to encourage a reconnection to nature for communities then emerging from COVID-19 isolation, at-home schooling, and telecommuting. Gorgeously decorated, recycled doors crafted by regional artists became surprising waypoints of delight while traveling bike paths and walking trails. Some emphasize local wildlife and environmental themes; others are fun and whimsical, stressing exercise and companionship. In 2021, Go Out Doors - Neighbors projects have continued to spread, with new art doors installed or planned in Carlisle, Westford, Concord, Arlington, Lexington, Medford, Groton, Minute Man National Historical Park, and eight villages in Newton including Auburndale; Newton Centre; Newton Highlands, Newton Upper Falls, Newtonville, Nonantum, Waban and West Newton.Background, wayfinding, photos, information about the artists, calls for new proposals, and other news will be updated throughout the season at Go Out Doors - Neighbors | The Umbrella Arts Center.