Events

Visit the exhibition Revolutionary Legacies at Concord Museum. How have we remembered April 19, 1775, and the American Revolution over the past 250 years? Featuring commemorative ephemera, unique relics, artworks, personal objects, and contemporary works that respond to the Revolution’s legacy, this special exhibition asks what we choose to remember—and what has been left out—as the public looks back to the founding of our nation. 

With big hair, big laughs, and even bigger heart, this joyous, high-energy musical proves that when we dance together, anything is possible. Tracy Turnblad’s dream to dance on the Corny Collins Show has come true, but this determined teen won’t just do the twist and the mashed potato: she’ll use her star power to integrate Baltimore’s TV network to a swingin’ soundtrack! 

The Umbrella Arts Center of Concord, MA, presents its second Ceramics Biennial Exhibition, “Earthworks: Evolution”, a regional show celebrating the depth of history, tradition, and cultural expression in contemporary ceramics, and the ways in which artists continue to expand the field through innovation and reinterpretation.

Explore Concord during the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area Hidden Treasures Festival (May). A dozen+ partners present free, townwide events—from The Umbrella Open Studios and West Concord Art Loop to historic house tours, garden walks, poetry, family workshops, and a community treasure hunt. Discover pop-ups from the Guitar Museum, Revolution 250–inspired programs, and nature activities along the Concord River—revealing the stories, landscapes, and creative spirit that define this iconic New England town and 44 neighboring communities in the nationally designated Heritage Area.

The Umbrella's beloved Open Studios is May 2 & 3, from 12 - 5 PM in Concord, MA. It's fun for all, FREE to attend, and priceless to get to know your local artists! The Umbrella Arts Center is home to more than 60 working artists skilled in a variety of fine and applied arts, including ceramics, glass, fiber arts, jewelry making, illustration, mixed-media, painting, photography, printmaking, illustration, sculpture, woodworking, writing, and more. Our annual Open Studios is an incredible opportunity to meet our artists, learn about their process, and share in celebrating their work.

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Blight for a compelling forum on the evolving meaning of American independence. Drawing on his scholarship on Frederick Douglass, Blight will explore how the ideals of the Declaration of Independence have been interpreted and contested over time. Professor Blight will discuss Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?.” Through Douglass’s words, Blight invites us to reflect on the enduring tensions between liberty and inequality, and to consider whether the nation’s founding promises remain unfulfilled.

Join local ornithologist, author, and naturalist Peter Alden for a guided bird walk at Walden Pond. Alden is the author of Audubon’s Field Guide to New England. Peter will be joined by friend and frequent collaborator Lillian Stokes. Stokes has coauthored over 35 field guides.

Historian Beverly Gage discusses This Land Is Your Land, a sweeping examination of American democracy, protest, and power. Drawing on vivid stories and deep research, Gage traces how struggles over rights, belonging, and national identity have shaped the nation and why those struggles continue to matter today. Supported in part by Mass Humanities.

Join us in tracing parts of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride on a ride through the historic towns of Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Bedford, and Carlisle. Starting at the Concord Museum near the historic town center, cyclists can choose to ride a 20- or 32-mile loop on paved roads, passing many Revolutionary landmarks like the North Bridge, the Lexington Green, the Paul Revere Capture Site, and much more!   All net proceeds from Paul Revere’s Bike Ride support educational programs at the Concord Museum that reach more than 15,000 students a year.

Whether you’re new to the writings of Henry David Thoreau or a lifelong fan of his work, you’re sure to enjoy the Thoreau Farm Reading Group. The group meets once a month on a Thursday evening to discuss one of Thoreau’s essays. April 16 will feature “Moon and Moonlight,” May 21 will bring “A Walk to Wachusett,” and June 18 will delve into “Slavery in Massachusetts.”