'Never Too Much, Always Enough' Temporary Art Installation Marks Frederick Law Olmsted Bicentennial

The series of temporary park furnishings, named “never too much, always enough,” features 24 chairs in six sites across the Emerald Necklace, Olmsted’s final work. Each chair was built by repurposing the distinctive white spruce-pole fence that was designed by Olmsted, to surround the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (Fairsted). Heidi Schork, who founded The Mayor’s Mural Crew, designed the chair inspired to use the same curves that are found in Fairsted’s beautiful fence. Each sustainably-made chair can be enjoyed at the following locations:

• Jamaica Pond, in the southwest corner overlooking the pond and in the northwest corner amongst the trees

• Franklin Park, to the left of Franklin Park Golfcourse Clubhouse and at the top of Scarborough Hill (by Hole 12 of the golf course)

• Allerton Overlook, off of Pond Avenue by Olmsted Park’s Leverett Pond 

• Back Bay Fens, off of Park Drive behind the James P. Kelleher Rose Garden 

This project was conceptualized and brought to life by a group of youth artists employed by the City of Boston’s Department of Youth Employment, together with adult artists employed for the Boston Parks Department, including: Aiyanna Canty, Aminah Yahya, Bobby Zabin, Camila Aguilera-Steinert, Eli Swanson, Emmett Hughes, Heidi Schork (Program Director, The Mayor’s Mural Crew), Inez Bendavid-Val, Jamar Joseph, Jerome Jones (Lead Artist, The Mayor’s Mural Crew), Kayla Depina, Laniya Harding, Liz O’Brien (Program Manager, The Mayor’s Mural Crew), Lucy Edelstein-Rosenberg, Maia Poremba, Madalen Bigsby-Licht, Nalani Reid, Niamh Mulligan, Tony Depina, Xavier James, Xzavier Santiago, and Zariyah Wilkerson. The construction of chairs was led by Jerome Jones, who acquired the knowledge and skills to build a chair as a teenager at Mona High School in St. Andrew, Jamaica. 

“Olmsted directed his firm at Fairsted to do ‘the best for Boston at all times’. Olmsted believed that thoughtfully-designed greenspace is necessary for building community, and that ‘parks are for the people’. We are thrilled to bring ‘never too much, always enough’ to the Emerald Necklace,” said Supervisory Ranger Brianne Cassetta, of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. “In collaboration with the creative talents of The Mayor’s Mural Crew, we are delighted to welcome you to enjoy these reimagined spaces, where individuals throughout greater Boston can come together and find community.” 

“Olmsted’s values resonate geniusly in the 21st century city and post-pandemic world. Together with Fairsted, we carefully focused on crafting space for people to connect and be inspired, as Olmsted did," said Liz O'Brien, of the Mayor’s Mural Crew. "Olmsted would be exceptionally proud of our youth artists, who went above and beyond amidst Boston’s hottest summer in 150 years, to create this historic piece of art.”

Visitors are encouraged to share their experience on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #nevertoomuchalwaysenough.

About The Mayor’s Mural Crew

The Mayor’s Mural Crew, a program of the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, celebrates its 31st year employing Boston teenagers to create large-scale public art projects across neighborhoods and parks. Learn more about our work on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

About Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site 

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (Fairsted) is a unit of the National Park Service located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Olmsted is recognized as the founder of the profession of American landscape architecture and the nation's foremost parkmaker. Learn more about the site, Olmsted, and programming on Instagram and Facebook.

About Olmsted 200

Olmsted 200, is a project of the National Association for Olmsted Parks, dedicated to the national celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram. 

About Olmsted Now

Olmsted Now, Greater Boston’s Olmsted Bicentennial, is an urgent opportunity to build an inclusive coalition of civic, non-profit and community partners, all of whom have a stake in the future of parks and public places and come together around shared values of shared health, shared use, and shared value. Follow along on Instagram.