February Staycation Ideas

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No plans to leave town for the Concord Schools February Vacation Week?

You’re in luck – Concord & Carlisle have so many wonderful offerings to keep your crew entertained!

The Concord Free Public Library offers free take and make crafts each week to help inspire creativity and fun for children. Sign up for February 19th session!

Tap into your inner artist! At The Umbrella, they believe that everyone is an artist. The Umbrella February Vacation Week programs give students the opportunity to discover, explore, and experiment in the arts.

Looking for fun outdoor activities for your school-aged children over February vacation week? Discover the wonders of winter at Clark Farm!

Vacation Week Cartooning Afternooning! This online February Vacation Week class is perfect for 7-12 year olds who love cartoons and drawing!

 

President Lincoln is beaming in to answer your questions! The Concord Museum is pleased to bring its popular Presidents’ Day program A Visit with President Lincoln to the virtual stage.

Check out special Black History Month program from the Concord Museum! Join the Concord Museum Forum: Sarah Johnson’s Mount Vernon with author Scott Casper.

Concord History with a Chocolate Twist Tour Dates : February 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th Tour Start Time : 1:00pm, departs Concord Visitor Center at 58 Main Street

The Concord Free Public Library is teaming up with The Nature Connection to invite children to explore plants and animals, geek out over nature, and connect with self and others in new ways – all through nature-based stories and poems!

Manga! Draft images of silly dragons, charming creatures, ghosts, and goblins. In this easy-paced online February Vacation Week class with popular Umbrella Arts teacher Alicia Herman, time travel back to ancient Japan! Learn about how the tradition of manga comics started long ago and experiment with creating our own. Sketch, blend, and overlap colors with illustrative markers.

 

Thinking of learning to play an instrument? Now is a perfect time! The IMSCC Winter-Spring session is underway and we welcome new students!

Looking to connect hands-on learning to big ideas? Students will access foundational design learning by creating their own Escape Room style lock codes. Escape room design is a fundamentally social process which taps design principles such as deduction, induction, design space, feedback loops, and more. Sign up here!

Teddy Bear Sewing Project! Sew your own huggable bear! You’ll learn how to construct and sew the bear, and design it yourself by choosing different felt muzzles, noses, belly patches, and more. You’ll learn basic hand stitching and some embroidery stitches, too.

Take a family friendly tour of Concord, spend 45 minutes to discover more about the town where we live!

The Concord Free Public Library invites children of all ages to join us on Thursday, February 18 at 11am on Zoom and talk about your favorite books. We will share a few of our favorites, and invite each child to share some of their favorites.

Trivia Night at the Concord Museum! Calling all history nerds and trivia champs! Join us for an evening of virtual trivia at the Concord Museum on Thursday, February 18!  Test your knowledge of American history, geography, and all things Concord in this friendly competition.

Check out art show at a local Three Stones Gallery. The paintings and mixed media works of Helen Canetta and Jill Goldman-Callahan transmit a dynamism and fresh perspective as we release this past year and catapult into lighter days ahead. This is the last week of the show so don’t miss it!

Interactive sing-along! The Concord Free Public Library invites kids and families to join us for an interactive sing-along with Ed Morgan, “The Music Man”, on Friday, Feb 19, 10 am on Zoom. Enjoy fun rhymes and tunes, and connect with your family through music. These family-friendly performances will have everyone up moving, dancing, and singing.

Have some fleece-y fun when you create your own one-of-a-kind fleece headband! Sign up with the Umbrella Arts for this fun class!

Family Trivia Night!

Learn about Winter Habits and Winter Movement... Animals respond and adapt to the winter by burmiating, aestivation, hibernation, migration, and embracing the snow! Learn about all the cool ways animals thrive in the winter through interactive stations, games, creative movement, investigations of art and nature, and creating original art projects for the whole family!

 

 

Movie / Game night at home – Grab a special meal from one of our many fabulous restaurants !

 

Take a hike on a local trail then grab some hot cocoa or treat from cafe / bakery!

 

Enjoy your week!

Art in Bloom in Concord

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 ART IN BLOOM IN CONCORD

Are you ready for a little springtime in January? January’s Art in Bloom Concord a collaboration of the Garden Club of Concord, Concord Art, and the Concord Museum will showcase floral designs interpreting original works of art starting on Thursday, January 14 through Monday, January 18, 2021.  Garden Club members will create floral interpretations of entries in the exhibition Members Juried 1:  Painting and Sculpture at Concord Art, and of the watercolors in the exhibition HOME: Paintings by Loring W. Coleman at the Concord Museum.

The designs will infuse winter with the promise of spring and reflect the art that inspires them. Floral designs will be on display Thursday, January 14 through Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Concord Art and on Saturday, January 16 through Monday, January 18 at the Concord Museum. Virtual programming will also be available! Please confirm visiting guidelines on Concord Art’s website www.concordart.org. Please reserve timed tickets online in advance of your Concord Museum visit. www.concordmuseum.org

 

 

Please note: Concord Museum is closed for the winter months, but will reopen specifically for the Art in Bloom in Concord event on Saturday, January 16 through Monday, January 18, 2021. This will be the last opportunity for visitors to see the temporary exhibition HOME: Paintings by Loring W. Coleman which features twenty-six watercolors by this notable “plein air” painter of New England landscapes. Timed tickets may be purchased online for the Museum or by calling 978-369-9763 x222.

 

Winter Market Goes to Town!

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Each year, The Umbrella Arts Center comes alive with festive holiday energy during Winter Market, which brings thousands of visitors to Concord during the first weekend of December. But for this extraordinary 2020 season, we’ve reimagined it as an opportunity to safely connect artisans, retail and hospitality businesses with holiday celebrants.

 

Instead of hosting a market at 40 Stow Street, “Winter Market Goes to Town” connects area businesses hosting Umbrella Artists to enliven four Concord retail districts with art. Downtown, the Depot, Nine Acre Corner, and West Concord will become a moveable festival of holiday arts, attracting shoppers and tourists from throughout the region — not just for a weekend, but throughout an extended holiday retail season!

 

Be sure to check out all of those on list (addresses list below) and see a glimpse of a few here:

 

Barbara Willis’ scarves and Lonnie Harvey’s monoprints panels are on display at Sarah Campbell in Concord Center (Photo courtesy Lonnie Harvey):

 

 

Lois Andersen’s Concord paintings are on display at Graem Nuts & Chocolate, “Winter Market Goes to Town”:

 

 

Head to Comina and you’ll see Carole Parrish’s work:

 

 

What a wonderful opportunity for our community to see & support the work of these gifted artists while also shopping local this holiday season to support our local shops.

 

 

Albright Gallery
32 Main Street, Concord, MA
Wayne Geehan
Ilse Plume

Artinian Jewelry
39 Main Street, Concord, MA
Jean Lightman

Colonial Inn
48 Monument Square, Concord, MA
Denise Kracz

Comina
9 Walden Street, Concord, MA
Carole Parrish

Concord Cheese Shop
29 Walden Street, Concord, MA
Sarah Paino

Concord Teacakes
59 Commonwealth Avenue, Concord, MA
Deb Loverd

Debra’s Natural Gourmet
98 Commonwealth Avenue, Concord, MA
Deb Richardson

Dunkin Donuts West Concord
1191 Main Street, West Concord, MA
Linda Grom

Frame-ables
111 Thoreau Street, Concord, MA
Max Payne
Hilary Taylor

Graëm Roasters
49 Main Street, Concord, MA
Lois Andersen

Joy Street
49 Commonwealth Avenue, Concord, MA
Julie Hagan

Lucy Lacoste Gallery
25 Main Street, Concord, MA
Suzanne Hill

Patina Green
59 Main Street, Concord, MA
Pierre Chiha

Sara Campbell
41 Main Street, Concord, MA
Barbara Willis
Lonnie Harvey

The Concord Museum
53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA
Paul Ruhlmann
Margaret Savage

Trail’s End
97 Lowell Road, Concord, MA
Louise Arnold
Anne Denna
Cynthia Katz

Verrill Farm
11 Wheeler Road, Concord, MA
Jill Goldman-Callahan
Carol Krauss

Winter Solstice Celebration

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Many Celebrations this Winter Solstice

 

Flickering firelight illuminates small hands gluing, weaving, and cutting. Are these elves in the North Pole? Nope, these are the kids and families participating in this year’s Winter Solstice Celebration!

 

You may recall last year’s blow-out Solstice at the Old Manse. Families, friends, and strangers who became friends gathered around the fire pit singing carols like “Deck the Hall” and “O Tannenbaum.”  Voices of the Earth, the Arts & Environment chorus, lit hundreds of candles handed out to the crowd. Everyone heartily drank warm cider and roasted marshmallows on the fire. This year, you can guess, is slightly different. We won’t be at the Old Manse. But we still plan to celebrate the Solstice! Instead of gathering in one spot on one day, we’re celebrating over many days.

 

Ninjas in Nature is hosting a Winter Ninja Festival to enjoy the freedom of running around outside and the satisfaction of building your own fire.

 

 

In our winter self-care workshop, gather what brings you warmth and joy during dark months and create reflective collage art before hibernating at home.

 

Finally, families can craft their own solstice ornaments at Concord Market. Glue, cut, and weave lily stem stars. Twist and tie fabric evergreen trees. Wrap cranberry wreaths to hang on the tree. Don’t forget to visit Concord Market and pick up some hot cocoa or cider to enjoy!

 

Join us around the community fire this Solstice for all these outdoor, winter workshops. To learn more about and sign up for our collection of Winter Solstice activities, visit the Arts & Environment class page. Who knows how you’ll light up this Winter Solstice!

 

Weekend Day Trip: Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School in Hamilton

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Outside allows us to observe social distancing advisories while offering a delightful opportunity for viewers to enjoy a walk among 50 beautiful pieces of art set amidst the 100-acre campus of Pingree School in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

 

 

To keep everyone safe,  all visitors must wear masks, remain six feet apart from other visitors not in their party, and refrain from touching sculptures or signs. The public is invited to view the exhibit during daylight hours on weekends and during holidays when school is not in session (October 12, and November 25–27).

 

Go here for a free electronic guide and map via the Findful app

 

Pack a picnic and head north…

   

    

Be sure to check out this thought provoking sculpture “Humanity Unravelled” by Concord sculptor, Elisa Adams. 

 

   

Set aside extra time to look carefully at this guitar sculpture (below).

 

 

 

Look closely – what do you see? Can you find the bike pedals or tweezers? Take turns playing “I Spy” with your family / friends – you will be amazed by what objects are used in this sculpture.

 

A special thank you to Concord resident, Hedi Charde, for sending us a few of her photos from her visit!

 

   

 

How many different animal sculptures can you find?

 

 

 

 

   

 

Explore the grounds, including the Pingree Farm at bottom of the hill.

 

Take some time one weekend to see this fresh air, free exhibit – you won’t be disappointed!

 

Weekend Outing Ideas

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ROCKPORT, MA

In just one hour you can get to the charming coastal town of Rockport, Massachusetts where you’ll find scenic views, delightful shops and an abundance of fabulous galleries.

Wear comfortable shoes so you can walk along rocks on the jetty or take steps down to the beach.

 

Work up an appetite and then grab a lobster roll or clam chowder, followed by ice cream or candy at various spots in town.

 

Find our inner artist – visit Motif #1 and see why artists call this fish shack “Motif #1″n i, an inspiration for so many artists over the years. Rockport has an abundance of benches located around harbor which will allow you to sit down and sketch the famous shack or just sit admire the beauty of the harbor.

Motif Number 1, located on Bradley Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts, is a replica of a former fishing shack well known to students of art and art history as “the most often-painted building in America.” Wikipedia

Read the story behind it in New Englnd Today, Travel

                     

 

Read about more things to do and see in Rockport – such as walking tours, the Headlands, Cape Ann Light Station, Bearskin Neck, Dogtown Tours, Babson Word Rocks, fishing charters, Loblolly Cove, Sandy Bay Historical Society & Museum and much more.

 

BOSTON SEAPORT / FAN PIER

     

In the mood for an urban adventure? How about Boston Seaport / Fan Pier area? If you haven’t been there lately, you’ll be in for a wonderful surprise. There is so much to see and do – day or night and no shortage of delicious dining options.

   

Stroll along Harbor Walk which encircles the 21 acres of Fan Pier.

        

Pop into a Museum  – Take your pick – Institute for Contemporary Art (shown below), Boston Children’s Museum. Boston Fire Museum, Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum – to name a few…

   

Grab a bite at a fabulous restaurant / cafe or take it to go and enjoy your meal while sitting on one of the hundreds of places to sit along Harbor Walk.

   

You won’t be disappointed. The views can’t be beat!

The Umbrella Arts Center announces new series of fall classes!

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The Umbrella @ Home Offers Flexible Online Art Class Options
#StayHome #StaySafe #StayCreative – Since its spring closure due to COVID-19, The Umbrella Arts Center has directed its energies to transforming its expansive array of arts programs – from classes, summer camps and stage productions to gala events and public festivals — into virtual, asynchronous or social-distanced outdoors formats.

For this fall, instead of emphasizing a return to in-person classes, the organization has continued to invest in and refine The Umbrella @ Home offerings, delivering virtual arts education experiences through a variety of distance-learning methods and platforms.

Using a combination of Zoom, asynchronous video demos, DIY activity kits and other tools, The Umbrella’s teachers have created dozens of course offerings for all ages in Painting, Fiber, Drawing, Design and Dance/Movement. The Umbrella’s expanded Ceramics program offers virtual and video instruction, as well as local curbside clay pickup and drop-off kiln firing services at 40 Stow Street. Performing Arts offerings range from jazz and Bollywood dance classes and private theater audition coaching. And, The Umbrella Arts & Environment program has expanded its popular outdoors arts and nature exploration programs.

To inspire its community to remain creative through the pandemic, the organization is also inviting all class participants, teachers and community artists share their favorite creations in a fall exhibition, #DiscoverYourArts Showcase.

Fall I session adult classes start as early as September 11. Explore and register for the variety of classes at TheUmbrellaArts.org/Classes or contact 978-371-0820 x204.

Why You Should “Go Out Doors” in West Concord, MA

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Did You Know that There is New Rail Trail Art on the West Concord Bike Path?

Yes there is!  Concord’s own Umbrella Arts Center has created a  Whimsical “Go Out Doors” art scene that brightens the West Concord Bike Path.

Inspired by NYC’s En Plein Air doors on the Highline, “Go Out Doors” is West Concord’s newest public art exhibition, installed along the recently opened section of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Designed to raise awareness of local bike trails as part of an interconnected system throughout the region, this exhibition will run from July 1 – November 30, 2020.

A project of The Umbrella Arts Center program, Go Out Doors features fourteen doors painted by seven regional artists that “explore a world you might find if you open your front door and adventure outside,” says Nancy Lippe, director of The Umbrella Arts & Environment program.

A variety of door images celebrate nature, our senses and outdoor activity. The majority of doors are sited between the Commonwealth Avenue entrance and the Assabet River bridge, with another grouping at the Powder Mill Road entrance.

Contributing artists are Kayo Burman, Karla Collins, Howie Green, Marlowe Miller, Caroline Provost, Rebecca Tuck and Sophy Tuttle. Additional artists may be commissioned for a future expansion to other locations.

Installation of the doors takes place over a three-week period, per the request of the Town Bruce Freeman Bike Advisory Committee to minimize large gatherings.

Funded by the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and Foundation for Metrowest, the exhibition also seeks to inspire visitors to slow down, notice, and explore. The timing of the exhibition dovetails well with a community emerging from quarantine and eager for outdoor activity and art. Organizers remind exhibition visitors that social distancing and masks are required when out in public.

More information can be found at TheUmbrellaArts.org/Go-Out-Doors.

The Umbrella Arts Community Center is adding many “Things to Do” in Concord Ma!

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The Umbrella had its grand reopening this weekend in Concord MA.  It was amazing. If you weren’t able to make it, you need to stop in. The building is beautiful and The Umbrella is offering amazing opportunities for our community to enjoy the arts! 

Here are some of the highlights from the Grand Reopening:

They had many activities throughout the afternoon. These included:

  • Open rehearsals of the upcoming theater performance 42nd Street
  • A woodworking and furniture making demonstration
  • Bollywood Dance: Don’t know what this is? Contact the Umbrella to find out!
  • A weaving workshop
  • A ceramics demonstration
  • Tours of the new classrooms and Makerspace

We were able to visit many of the studio artists. They were very welcoming and we loved looking at and hearing about their work. 

If you brought your children, there were activities for all ages related to The Umbrella’s current exhibit in conjunction with the National Park Service. The Gallery contained an exhibition of works by Nicholas Mancini, the 2018-2019 Umbrella Artist in Residence. We were able to meet Jess Muise, the curator of the exhibit and Visual Arts Manager. We visited the box office where we could purchase tickets to Greater Boston’s Newest Professional Theater The Umbrella Stage Company and the upcoming Lyle Lovett Concert. And on our way out, Reasons to be Cheerful was serving ice cream in an ice cream truck, courtesy of the Umbrella. Great way to top off a great afternoon!

The Umbrella has A LOT of upcoming events so keep reading Living Concord’s weekly email so you don’t miss any of them!

If you want to mark your calendar here are some highlights:

  • September 22: Artist Demo Nancy Winship Milliken
  • September 27: 42nd Street Opens
  • October 5: Family Drop-In Activity Day

And you can always Make a Night of It in Concord! The Umbrella would like you to make the most of your night out in the historic Concord Center Cultural District. Find special Dinner-and-a-Show and Hotel partner offers from Trail’s End Cafe, Adelita, Concord’s Colonial Inn, Best Western Concord, and more at TheUmbrellaArts.org/Partner-Offers.