Outdoor exploration is a fabulous means to slowly emerge from our strange, long year of hibernation. What better way to enliven ourselves than to view art in nature. Both have an extreme impact on our happiness index.
The Go Out Doors project was initiated by The Umbrella Arts Center in 2020 with the goal of bringing art to public spaces and answering the questions: What happens if you open the door and step outside? What happens if the opportunity to engage presents itself? What might we discover if, on foot or wheel, we find ourselves on a path through the woods – hidden from the roads we travel daily?
As summer arrives in Concord, we are delighted to see many of our town’s extraordinary art venues continuing their online programs and adding live events as national, state, and local governments issue updated guidance on safely coming together during COVID-19. This summer will bring exciting visual arts programs, a concert, and even live theatre once again.
As part of the exhibition, Every Path Laid Open: Women of Concord and the Quest for Equality, the Concord Museum is hosting a film series called Summer Under the Stars, a celebration of movies made by and about women. The films will address historical and contemporary issues of women’s rights, reform, and activism, celebrating female heroes - the fictional, historical, and super. The series kicks off on Thursday, June 10 at 8:15 p.m. with the 2019 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel, Little Women. On the eve of Juneteenth, to celebrate and continue the conversation raised by Harriet Tubman’s heroic efforts to free enslaved people through the underground railroad, the Museum will host Harriet (Thursday, June 17 at 8:15 p.m.). Two additional films will be scheduled for later in the summer.
Spring is an awakening of Nature…along with arguments! Buds, birds, insects, plants, amphibians, and animals gather energy and burst forth. Arrivals from the South are seen each day. Color brightens and the chatter of birds, insects, and animals is heard as they say “That is mine!”
As we move into spring, many of Concord’s beloved cultural institutions are presenting new and exciting exhibitions, performances, and more. Some are live, others online. All celebrate the talent, vision, and creativity of Concord’s artistic community. Join them in welcoming spring!
Meet artists Ray Ciemny and Lynne D. Klemmer. In his free time, Ray loves turning discarded and unused metal into stunning works of art for homes and gardens. In her latest series, titled Redux, Lynne weaves Inuit, Aboriginal, and American folk-art references throughout her paintings.
There’s no stopping love. World-wide pandemic or not, we are living love with our family, friends, and community. We are taking care of ourselves and helping others in whatever ways that we can. We might be staying local and keeping six feet apart, but we’re grabbing those lemons, making lemonade, and embracing the surprising sweetnesses of this time.
On a cold winter’s day in 1982, Loring Wilkins Coleman (1918-2015) embarked on one of his favorite activities: driving around Massachusetts to look at old barns and houses. On the recommendation of his son Andrew, Coleman went to the town of Sterling in search of a “superb grouping of buildings,” and struck gold. “It was indeed one of the most handsome New England farms I had ever seen,” recalled Coleman. It took ten days to complete a detailed pencil drawing of the farm buildings, but it wasn’t until 2003 that Coleman finished his painting of the view.
