Abel Hernandez, an industrial design graduate student at Ohio State, was selected by Keebler and the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department to design and construct a tiny elf door in the base of a tree at Whetstone Park in Clintonville. His door was one of four created in Columbus for a Keebler national tiny door campaign promoting the idea that the Keebler elves are real and are baking cookies in the trees. Hernandez’s door is located in the Park of Roses within Whetstone Park; the other doors are located in Schiller Park and Bicentennial Park downtown.

Hernandez grew up in Providence and attended the Rhode Island School of Design for his undergraduate degree. He now works for the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise in Sullivant Hall where he manages all of the digital media platforms. The grand opening of Sullivant Hall is on September 20.

Hernandez designed his door with all natural materials, including poplar, brass and maple. He describes the door as “whimsical” and hopes to use it as a portfolio piece. Since installing the door, Hernandez is happy to report that others have contributed to the site, placing flowers, a tiny pile of sticks, and a pathway made of acorn caps near the door.

The hashtag “#tinydoors” is written on the inside of every door, with the goal that visitors will tweet a picture of the door when they find it. The Keebler project is “a great use of social media to get people out into the natural world,” Hernandez says.

Using natural materials was important for Hernandez, who is developing his own menswear line using recycled materials – like old clothing from Goodwill – and “upcycling” them into new clothes and accessories. He hopes this experience will open new doors of opportunity for him.