“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” — John Muir

Outdoor exploration is a fabulous means to slowly emerge from our strange, long year of hibernation. What better way to enliven ourselves than to view art in nature. Both have an extreme impact on our happiness index.

The Go Out Doors project was initiated by The Umbrella Arts Center in 2020 with the goal of bringing art to public spaces and answering the questions: What happens if you open the door and step outside? What happens if the opportunity to engage presents itself? What might we discover if, on foot or wheel, we find ourselves on a path through the woods – hidden from the roads we travel daily?

©Ron Mann

Doors were donated to six artists on which they could execute their creations and those doors can be seen on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail between Route 2 and Powder Mill Road.

Arts & Environment Coordinator for The Umbrella, Caroline Provost, said, “The idea was conceived by Nancy Lippy from The Umbrella, who had seen the En Plein Air door installation on the High Line in New York City. She brought this idea to Concord.”

Kayo Burnam, one of the artists of the 2020 project says, “You not only walk the trail, you stop and have conversations…[the project is] a punctuation on the trail instead of walking ahead.”

©Ron Mann

An extension of the 2020 Go Out Doors exhibition, Go Out Doors – Neighbors, expands the original concept to connect neighboring towns — three towns, three bike paths, and three cultural districts (Concord, Lexington, and Arlington). New doors will be added to the exhibition in 2021 and The Umbrella invites all artists to submit a proposal for inclusion in Go Out Doors – Neighbors.

Learn more at theumbrellaarts.org and Go Out Doors to find your own inspiration this summer!