This week – traditionally the gateway to summer and fun – feels muted as we all grapple once more with the incomprehensible. Our grief, compounded… Buffalo, Dallas, Laguna Woods, the second anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Uvalde, TX…too many more to count.

I would normally be sending a “holiday discount” sales offer for the weekend, gearing up for a cookout, checking the forecast for the beach. It all feels wrong. But as I look at our current exhibit and production of The Colored Museum I am reminded that, at its true heart, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance.

Did you know that historians now believe the first Memorial Day observance was organized by formerly enslaved peoples in Charleston at least a year before other U.S. cities and three years before the first national observance? I didn’t. How might the world change if we all opened our minds and hearts and learned more about each other?

We shouldn’t forego our summer celebrations. We should gather, laugh together, hug each other. And I invite you to come to our theater and gallery this weekend…  to gather in community, learn together, laugh together…  and together, build a better future.

The Umbrella Stage Company’s production of George C. Wolfe’s classic play, The Colored Museum, has been called one of the "transformational theater productions to attend this spring" by the WBUR Artery and thrilled opening weekend audiences.

"Ironic, heart wrenching, sublime, funny, provocative, and a Call to Action," said one audience member who attended the opening weekend collaborative theater and visual art experience, "a whole basket of humanity on a hot summer night. Go to Concord, it’s worth the trip!"

Director Pascale Florestal of Front Porch Arts Collective wanted audiences to leave the play not merely entertained, but called to actively promote social change. Florestal found a like-minded collaborator in Boston visual artist-activist Cedric Vise1 Douglas, who has created a rich, interactive gallery experience that lets audiences engage personally and frankly with themes of the show (see article below).

In a new feature for The Boston Globe, Terry Byrne observes that both the show and exhibit include activist components that ask viewers to not simply observe the artwork but engage in efforts to dismantle racism in their own community. "The gallery exhibit uplifts Black visual artists by reminding audiences of their talent, as well as how rare it is to see an art gallery or museum devoted to the work of contemporary Black artists."

The Colored Museum continues this weekend and next with performances Friday and Saturday at 8PM, and Sunday at 3PM. The Sunday matinees are immediately followed by a panel discussion: experts from The Robbins House, a nonprofit dedicated to sharing Concord’s African, African American, and antislavery history (Sunday May 29); Director Pascale Florestal and Curator Cedric Vice 1 Douglas in conversation with Jacquinn Sinclair of WBUR and The Boston Globe (Sunday, June 5).

Buy Tickets Now

Artists Opening

On Sunday May 22, more than 100 people gathered for a multidisciplinary celebration of Black art and artists as part of The Colored Museum collaborative theater, gallery and history experience.

Some attendees included curator Cedric Vise1 Douglas, Shea Justice, Dr. Nettrice Gaskins, Ife Franklin, and Barrington Edwards.

Highlights of the evening included music provided by DJ Bob Diesel, delicious Carribean food provided by Karibu and Rhythm 'n Wraps, a pop-up "Museum Gift Shop" to support the artists, and an interactive Anti-Racism Oath installation.

Gallery visitors and theater audiences are invited to contribute to the exhibition's interactive antiracism installations through June 30. Douglas, play director Pascale Florestal, and journalist Jacquinn Sinclair will discuss the collaboration in a special talkback immediately after the Sunday June 5 performance.

See Full Schedule Of The Colored Museum Events

Exciting news from education!

Join Kirsten Bassion of The Clay School for demos of her full process--from throwing forms to her unique and layered slip and underglaze surface decoration. Attendees will have an opportunity to try the techniques on small tiles (provided). All experience levels welcome!

Register Here

Registration opening soon!

Summer registration dates for a limited slate of Summer Adult Ceramics classes and a newly-created Fall Homeschool Program will be announced in next week's newsletter! (Photo: Pierre Arnauld Des Lions)

Calling all 15-17 year olds! Looking for something to do this summer? Be a classroom volunteers for The Umbrella Summer Camp program! Assist teachers and campers all while developing leadership skills and gaining a sense of responsibility.

Sign Up Here

Studio Arts Opportunities

The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA is proud to continue its Artist-in-Residence program for the 2022-2023 season.  This season, The Umbrella Visual Arts and Arts and Environment Departments are amping up the calls to action on climate change through a series of exhibitions and programs. We are seeking an Artist-in-Residence whose work also expresses urgency and invites participation around climate action.

Applications are being accepted online only through Sunday, June 5, 2022 

Learn More And Apply

We're Hiring!

The Umbrella is currently seeking applications for multiple positions at our fast-growing regional arts center!

- Marketing Associate

- Development Associate

- Facilities Manager

- Arts Education Teachers

Find these and other opportunities on the Employment section of our website!

View Opportunities

In The Community

In the eighteenth century, the Royall House & Slave Quarters was home to the largest slaveholding family in Massachusetts and the enslaved Africans who made their lavish way of life possible. Today, it is a museum whose architecture, household items, archaeological artifacts, and programs bear witness to intertwined stories of wealth and bondage, set against the backdrop of America’s quest for independence.

Reopening on June 11, the only known remaining freestanding slave quarters in New England will resume offering tours each Saturday and Sunday through October 16. Tours start at 1, 2, and 3pm. Tour capacity is restricted to 12 people on a first-come first-served basis. MASKS are required inside both buildings.

Admission is always FREE for museum members. They also offer free admission to active duty military personnel and their families through the Blue Star Museums program; and to current or retired members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association upon presentation of a valid MTA card. They offer discounted admission to EBT and WIC cardholders through the EBT Card to Culture program.

Learn More