Things to See & Do

Joint the Concord Free Public Library Corporation for the annual Joel Myerson Lecture: "Stepping Out of Time: Thoreau, Lopez, and the Question of Transcendentalism Today," presented by Prof. Laura Dassow Walls. "Is this who we are?" It's the question of the day, but generations ago the Transcendentalists asked it as well, as they confronted an America founded on the promise of freedom but mired in the economics of slavery. Their legacy to us is paradoxical: they offer a vision transcending worldly affairs, even as they demand we attend to the burning world.

Stop by Concord Art and shop our Yart Sale on Saturday, October 11th (10am – 4pm). You’ll find fine art at a bargain, plus all sorts of decorative objects. There will be trinkets, and treasures galore! All proceeds from the event will support our mission: To promote and advance the visual arts and artists, and to enrich and sustain our cultural community. No tickets required!

The Umbrella Stage Company is proud to announce the presentation of TICK, TICK… BOOM!, the autobiographical rock musical by Jonathan Larson, directed by Ilyse Robbins. From Friday, October 10 through Sunday, November 23, 2025, audiences will be invited into the creative crucible of a composer on the brink of his 30th birthday, facing the crossroads of love, ambition, and artistic purpose.

Join local author Ruth Madison to celebrate her newest novel, Waiting to Break. This deeply emotional contemporary romance explores themes of community, grief, family expectations, the dignity of choice, and what it means to be truly seen. Ruth will read from her novel, answer audience questions, and sign books. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.  Click on the link for more information about the book.

Join historian Zara Anishanslin and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston curator Erica Hirshler for a conversation about Dr. Anishanslin new book, The Painter’s Fire, which tells the gripping story of three revolutionary artists – Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright – who used their creative talents to challenge the British monarchy and advance the cause of liberty. 

While Concord’s role in the start of the American Revolution is widely recognized, less well known are the continued experiences of disruption and turmoil in Concord throughout the war. Through eyewitness historical objects, artworks, and documents, Transformed by Revolution explores what it was like to be part of this war-time community that hosted Harvard College and became a hub of military supplies for the army in Boston. The exhibition also considers who participated in this fight for Independence and the meanings of freedom for women, the Black community, and sovereign Indigenous nations.

A few years ago, historian Elizabeth Herbin-Triant uncovered a long-hidden family secret: her family tree included one of Providence’s most prolific slave traders, Cyprian Sterry. Her research into Sterry’s life—marked by great wealth, a role at Brown University, and eventual ruin—led her to explore both her white and African American lineage. In Family Tree: A Reckoning, Herbin-Triant examines how families forget painful histories and asks: What do we gain—as individuals and as a nation—from confronting the full truth of our past?

Join Linda Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag) as she discusses her ground-breaking Young Adult book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story, part of the Race to the Truth Series published by Penguin Random House that seeks to correct some of the long-standing myths about American history. The book has attracted many readers for its compelling story of a young girl's life in a Wampanoag family and community long before any contact with Europeans. This is juxtaposed in the following chapters with documented accounts of European exploration, settlement, the institution of colonization, as well as its many impacts, which carry through to the present day. 

Join filmmaker Raouf Zaki on September 27 for a screening of his film Dream, in celebration of Blindness Awareness Month. Frank, an autistic man, loses his parents to COVID-19. He visits a petting zoo where he meets Daisy, a blind woman with dreams of sailing solo. Immersing himself in the world of the blind, Frank experiences how they rely on their other senses through activities such as fencing, and begins to face his own fears. 

The Umbrella Arts Center proudly presents the Boston-area premiere of The Counter, a riveting new play by acclaimed playwright Meghan Kennedy. This production will run Sep 26 – Nov 9, 2025, transforming the intimate Black Box space into a prism for a surprising, funny and moving reflection on the everyday connections that can change our lives.