Sleeping Bear Press publishes Gwen Frostic Story

From staff reports

Ann Arbor-based Sleeping Bear Press has published a children’s picture book titled Nature’s Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story. The author, St. Paul, Minn.-based Lindsey McDivitt, has been promoting the book this month with appearances in Traverse City and Petoskey.

Gwen Frostic is one of Michigan’s most beloved artists whose nature-inspired artwork has captivated fans for generations. After a debilitating illness as a child, Frostic sought solace in art and nature. She learned to be persistent and independent-never taking no for an answer or letting her physical limitations define her.

Her career began in machine drawing at the Willow Run bomber plant near Ypsilanti but her passion for nature led her to open a studio in Benzonia (just south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore) which still exists today. Frostic was always a big supporter of the arts and as an alumnus of Western Michigan University she bequeathed $13 million to the art school (one of the university’s largest single gifts), which is now known as the Frostic School of Art.

This picture-book biography explores the life and career of a business-savvy woman who created meaningful work and lived life on her own terms. Bright illustrations accompany Frostic’s story of a woman in business, who even when faced with challenges remained true to herself in a way that still inspires many today. She was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, and May 23 is official Gwen Frostic Day in Michigan.

“Growing up in Minnesota, my friends and I adored Gwen’s greeting cards in high school,” said McDivitt. “I had no idea she was from Michigan until I moved there and visited Sleeping Bear Dunes. When I spotted a brochure for her shop I started doing some research and learned what an amazing woman Gwen was.

McDivitt has lived in Michigan the past eight years and visits Leelanau County every year. She often stays near Glen Arbor, frequenting its shops, enjoying the spectacular hikes, and swimming at Empire beach.

“Besides Lake Michigan and the dunes, I feel (Frostic’s work accurately represents) the trees and wildflowers and creatures of the area that make it so special. The first time I visited Gwen’s shop near Benzonia the trilliums were blooming in the woods, and I’d learned they were her favorite flower.”

Learn more about Gwen Frostic’s studio at To.pbs.org/2lswuEn.