NORTHBOROUGH – The path running through Ellsworth McAfee Park is now lined with upcycled, painted doors.
It’s part of the Northborough Cultural Council’s (NCC) public art exhibit “Go Out Doors – Northborough,” which serves to launch of the council’s new public art campaign called Love Northborough.
Chair Terry Underwood noted the visibility of the Go Out Doors project in its current home in the park, speaking during a recent unveiling event this past weekend.
“If you’re walking your dog, you’re walking with your children, just stop and wonder and enjoy the art,” Underwood told the Community Advocate. “Enjoy each other. Go outdoors.”
Exhibit inspired by bike ride observation
The NCC got its inspiration for Go Out Doors after NCC members Craig and Suzanne Cox spotted a similar painted door while on a bike ride on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Concord.
That exhibit was put on by the Umbrella Arts Center of Concord, which then helped Northborough with its exhibit.
“We’re all trying to make Northborough a place of interest for people,” Selectmen Kristen Wixted said of the display. “I think that’s a great thing.”
The doors were painted by nine artists — Heather Baer, Karla Collins, Samantha Condon, Peggy Ann Davidoff, Lisa Hayden, Pam Haynes, Lori Tiron-Pandit, Nicole Nolan and Bich-Ngan Nguyen.
Doors were subsequently sealed with a protective coating to be able to better withstand the weather.
Baer was one of the five artists from Northborough.
Her door is called “A Fractured Mind” and represents pieces of herself and her family.
It is split into four panels, which depict scenes from important places including Cape May, where Baer grew up; Sunset Beach in North Carolina; and a look out her back door in Northborough. The wood in between the panels is decorated with patterns in the Zentangle art method.
Baer said it was incredible to have the exhibit in town.
“It makes me feel more valued as an artist,” she said. “I think it’s very validating for the community, and it creates a different experience in town.”
Auction planned
The exhibit will be on display in the park for about two months. After that, the art will be auctioned off.
“We’re hoping that that will continue the excitement and generate some funds,” Underwood said.
Money raised will go toward supporting other artists or another project in Northborough.
Dollars will also go back to the artists themselves.
“We hope that this is the start of many, many more things in Northborough,” Suzanne said.
“Public arts can really define our place and help everybody here in town connect with their town in a unique way.”
RELATED CONTENT
Northborough to celebrate new public art exhibition
Algonquin NHS hosts Easter egg hunt
Harlem Wizards come to Northborough for schools fundraiser
