In this series, we highlight some of the many artists who contribute to the deep creative culture of Concord. Across town, many organizations are dedicated to uplifting the visual arts and artists through exhibitions, educational programs, performances, and workspace.
For its 2025/26 Artist-in-Residence program, The Umbrella Arts Center expanded the cohort to include artists across all its programs, including Performing Arts and Education. In this feature, we focus on the three artists who create Ceramic and Visual Arts.
The Concord Chorus traces its origin to a summer 1945 performance of selections from Johannes Brahms’ German Requiem by the combined choirs of Concord’s churches at the invitation of Perry Daniels, the minister of First Parish Unitarian Church. The performance engendered so much enthusiasm that Nancy Loring (the conductor for this occasion), Katherine K. Davis (composer of The Little Drummer Boy and the first Chair of the Chorus), and Mrs. D. Ripley Gage of Concord formed a committee to organize the Concord Chorus.
Visitors to West Concord this spring will have a rare opportunity to step inside the world of fine guitar craftsmanship and musical innovation—years before the doors of the Guitar Museum of New England officially open.
The museum will host Hidden Gems, a special pop-up exhibition and event series in the months of April, May, and June at 129 Commonwealth Avenue in the heart of the West Concord Cultural District. The intimate display offers a preview of the remarkable instruments that will anchor the museum’s future permanent collection just down the street.
From November 8 through the holidays, Loveday Boutique will showcase hand crafted contemporary lockets from 14 artisans, alongside a selection of vintage finds. These modern heirlooms are created with a range of materials, including precious metals, diamonds and gemstones, walnut wood, and Formica veneer.
“Lockets can open a conversation and create meaningful connections,” said Kirsten Ball, owner of Loveday Boutique. “I often wear my grandmother’s locket, which holds a photograph of her inside it. When I’m wearing it, I feel her comforting presence.”
There is a new kind of museum coming to the heart of the fun and vibrant neighborhood of West Concord. Seventy-four Commonwealth Avenue will soon be home to The Guitar Museum of New England!
Sharing good food with loved ones is synonymous with the holidays. Adam Stark and Brigette Sanchez bring you two recipes sure to delight your guests this season.
Through the eyes of artist/photographer Joan Kocak, the everyday landscape of New England is a place filled with memory and mystery. And Cindy Crimmin can’t remember a time when she wasn’t painting or drawing. Meet these extraordinary artists and their inspiring work in this Spotlight article.
Simplicity weaves a rich tapestry of beauty and a sense of quietness in the landscapes surrounding Concord. Among them is Emerson’s humble potato garden, where a solitary tree is bordered by a weathered fence. This sketch evokes a meditative calm, capturing moments of stillness that remind us of the profound experiences that often stem from the simplest things, drawing attention to the elegance found in the everyday. And as Ralph Waldo Emerson poignantly expressed, “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” It might be in the gentle rustle of leaves, the serene play of light across a quiet room, or the unassuming bloom of a wildflower that we find a deeper connection to the world around us.
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