Events

Soak up the last of the fall weather and join artist Helen Duncan on an outdoor walk of this year's Art Ramble along the Fairyland Pond Trail in the Hapgood Wright Town Forest, right off of Concord Center. Experience the beauty of our natural systems alongside Duncan’s porcelain clay and wire forms, dispersed along the trail. Listen to the artist discuss her motivations behind the outdoor installation and take time to slow down, look, and take notice.

Join Professor Willsky-Ciollo as she explores how Thoreau was enmeshed in a decades-spanning project of crafting a theology of wildness. The focus of Thoreau’s theology—wildness itself—centers on the divinity extant in every person and in every molecule of creation.  In his writings, Thoreau leaves the door open to his readers, who he hoped would pick up the pen where he left off and write their own theologies of wildness.

Join historian Joanne Freeman for a compelling exploration of the Revolutionary era and the ideas, conflicts, and personalities that shaped the founding of the United States. Drawing on her extensive research into early American politics and public life, Freeman will examine how debates over power, democracy, and citizenship continue to resonate today. This engaging conversation offers new perspectives on the people and choices behind the nation’s beginnings.

Is talking the only way to have a conversation? Conversations happen in music, too! Explore musical dialogues with Marvento Duo in an interactive flute and piano concert for young listeners and their families. This interactive family concert will include a variety of flute and piano music from the Baroque period to the present. Through movement activities and listening games, discover the ways instruments communicate with each other. 

Driven by curiosity and a background in wildlife biology, Cynthia Fisher has created varied and philosophical works that seek to elevate mosaics beyond the world of craft and into fine art. Through inspiring cultural conversations, Fisher aims to engage the viewer in questioning our impact on the natural world.

Author Jay Vogt will share stories from his book, A Walking Life: A Memoir in Seventeen Walks, covering local walks, the Camino, and alpine trails. He will explore the European tradition of "walking holidays" and how to bring that spirit home. Then it’s your turn: bring a walking story to join the conversation. Jay will close with The Walking Life Challenge, encouraging you to walk with a friend and trade stories. Register at concordlibrary.org

Ben Cosgrove is a composer-performer whose music explores themes of landscape, place, and environment. Described as “a sonic plein-air painter… [using] his piano as a paintbrush,” Ben has collaborated with groups ranging from rock bands to research scientists, contributed music to several radio and film projects and held residencies and fellowships with institutions including NASA, Harvard University, and myriad national parks. Quintessentially American, Cosgrove is "an expert at painting sonic portraits of curious, unexpected places." He will perform his latest album, Topograph, inspired by land-shaping processes around the country.

What motivates collecting, and who decides what is worth preserving? Explore multiple, creative perspectives on the work of museum collecting, past and present, with emerging scholars and keynote speaker Mark Dion.

Come meet a Viking and enjoy traditional Scandinavian foods, including open-faced sandwiches, hot dogs, waffles, cheeses and baked goods. Shop for Nordic Christmas gifts, handmade knitwear, jewelry, books, linens, ornaments, and more. 

Celebrate Concord’s young artists and see how local students reimagined Concord’s lost Liberty Flag. Winning designs from the Elementary, Middle School, and High School divisions will be recognized, along with the Overall Concord Liberty Flag Winner whose design will be recreated as a full-size historical flag. Join us at Concord Scout House for the celebration and view the student exhibition.