Weaving an Address

April 14, 2025 – October 18, 2025

The Umbrella Arts Center Allie Kussin Gallery and Brister's Hill in Walden Woods

Opening Reception April 14, 6PM

Curated by artist Marla McLeod, this outdoor/indoor public and gallery art exhibition features site-specific work by prominent Black artists combining sculpture, fiber art, installation and live performance inspired by little-known experiences of historical Black inhabitants of Concord and its Walden Woods. Large-scale work will be installed on Brister's Hill, named for Brister Freeman, an enslaved man who won his freedom by serving in the Revolutionary War and then bought the property and lived there along with other formerly enslaved.

Inter-related fiber and woven artworks will also be installed in the nearby Umbrella Arts Center Allie Kussin Gallery through June 22, 2025.

Featured artists in the exhibition include: Sharon Chandler Correnty, Ifé Franklin, Stephen Hamilton, Whitney Harris, Ekua Holmes, Perla Mabel, Marla McLeod, Kimberly Love Radcliffe, and Anthony Peyton Young

View Artists' Statement and Bios

Curator Statement

Weaving an Address is a two-part exhibition that reclaims and honors the often-overlooked histories of the Black community that resided in Walden Woods after the American Revolution. Curated by Marla McLeod, the exhibition focuses on the experiences of formerly enslaved individuals in Concord, MA, particularly Brister Freeman—one of the first to gain "freedom" in the region. Through the lens of contemporary Black artists, the exhibition explores themes such as identity, history, family, and labor, offering a poignant reflection on the lives and legacies of this community.

Set along the Thoreau Trail in Walden Woods, the outdoor exhibition is The Umbrella’s 2025 Art Ramble, featuring large-scale installations and sculptures that offer a visual narrative of the lived experiences, struggles, and resilience of Brister Freeman and other Black inhabitants of Concord. While often overshadowed by figures like the abolitionist Henry David Thoreau, who knew and wrote about Freeman, this exhibition focuses on those lives most directly shaped by the brutalities of slavery in the region.

Inside the Allie Kussin Gallery, the textile-based works delve into the challenge of tracing Black ancestry and the importance of recovering lost histories. Reflecting on identity, spirituality, and community, the artists explore the absence of historical records. As contemporary Black and African-American artists weave their narratives from fragmented pasts, they offer a vision of how history shapes the present and influences the future. Weaving an Address invites visitors to engage with the complexities of American history, offering a creative and critical perspective on memory, art, and identity.

Related Activities

Opening Reception on April 14, 6PM
Monthly Curator Talks: May 24 4PM, June 14 3:30PM, July 19 3PM, August 23 3PM, Sept 13 1PM
Procession by artist Ifé Franklin on June 14 at 1PM
Participation in the town-wide Revolutionary Concord Trading Cards program
Learn about Brister Freeman in the world premiere film Concord's Secret History at 8PM April 12 and 2:30PM April 14.

Accessibility: The Umbrella is wheelchair accessible, with ADA parking detailed here. There is assessed parking for visitors to the Brister's Hill site on Walden Street, just north of the intersection with Route 2; find details and map here.

This exhibition is presented as part of the Concord250 commemoration, in partnership with The Walden Woods Project and The Robbins House, in association with Gather 2025, a month-long exploration and celebration of fiber and textile art in Greater Boston, and with permission of Concord Natural Resources Division.

Discover More Umbrella projects in Support of the Semiquincentennial

About the Partners

The Walden Woods Project is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving the land, literature, and legacy of Henry David Thoreau through conservation, education, research and advocacy. The Project uses the land it has protected in Walden Woods to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, both cornerstones of Thoreau's philosophy. In 1993, due to a threat of large commercial development, The Walden Woods Project purchased Brister's Hill. Brister’s Hill is now permanently protected, and its original condition has been preserved.

Visitors can enjoy the self-guided trail about Thoreau and Brister Freeman.

In 2013 The Walden Woods Project and the Toni Morrison Society honored Brister Freeman by placing a Bench by the Road on Brister's Hill. Visit www.walden.org.

The Robbins House is a Concord-based nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness of Concord’s African, African American, and antislavery history from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Its mission is to reveal the little known African American history of Concord and its regional and national importance. It operates a historic house and museum at 320 Monument St, Concord, adjacent to Minute Man National Historical Park's Old North Bridge locaiton. Visit robbinshouse.org

Gather 2025 is a month-long exploration of fiber and textile art in Greater Boston, highlighting the vibrancy, breadth, challenges and future of this tactile medium. Area institutions partner to bring an exciting program of exhibitions, events, lectures, research presentations and hands-on participatory events. Visit gatherfibersymposium.com

Concord250 commemorates the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which began here in New England. Two hundred fifty years ago, the men and women of what is now Massachusetts secured their independence from Britain and created a new nation dedicated to the ideals of liberty, equality, natural and civil rights and responsible citizenship. Concord250 honors our first 250 years and inspires Americans to imagine our next 250. To mark this significant anniversary, residents, friends, and neighbors of Concord are invited to commemorate and celebrate this anniversary throughout the entire year. Visit concord250.org

Weaving an Address