The Umbrella Arts Center

The public is invited to a free program exploring The Umbrella Arts Center’s outdoors public art ramble, Weaving an Address, a site-specific exhibition of work by prominent Black artists commemorating colonial-era Black residents of Concord’s famed Walden Woods.

On Saturday, July 19 at 3PM, curator and artist Marla McLeod will lead a guided tour of the artwork installed at Brister’s Hill in Walden Woods, named for Brister Freeman, an enslaved man who won his freedom by serving in the Revolutionary War and then bought the property and lived there along with other formerly enslaved before Thoreau.

The tour will be followed at 4:30PM by refreshments and a panel discussion back at The Umbrella Arts Center (40 Stow Street, Concord, MA) with McLeod in dialogue with historian Elise Lemire, author of Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts, who was recently a subject of the new international documentary, Concord’s Secret History, just released on over 500 PBS stations. Saturday’s discussion will examine the “journey from archive to art,” and Lemire’s scholarly research that fueled Weaving’s creative installations.

Fri June 13, 8PM, three-time GRAMMY® winner Darius Rucker in benefit concert for the Umbrella Arts Center in its intimate 350-seat theater. Limited tickets available.

Enjoy an intimate musical evening with Tituss Burgess, star of TV’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Broadway’s Oh, Mary! at The Umbrella Arts Center in historic Concord, MA — Two Nights Only — May 30 & 31 at 8PM.

The Spitfire Grill is a heartwarming musical that lifts up the beauty in second chances and the transformative nature of friendship. Based on the beloved film that took home the Audience Award at The Sundance Film Festival, the musical’s rich score is marked by Americana folk rhythms, soaring melodies, and irresistable charm. Apr 25 – May 18, 2025 at The Umbrella Arts Center, Concord.

The Umbrella Arts Center is excited to expand The Umbrella Concert Series to include two casual and intimate shows spotlighting some of your future-favorite musical acts who are up-and-coming through the Salt Lick Incubator program. FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025 at 7:30pm features Sofia Lafuente, Farayi Malek, and Ellie Williams!