Weaving an Address

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

To RSVP for the reception, please click here: Weaving an Address Opening Reception RSVP

 

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.

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

Inter-related fiber and woven artworks will also be installed in the nearby Umbrella Arts Center Allie Kussin Gallery through June 14, 2025.

Related Activities

  • Opening Reception on April 14, 4-6PM
  • 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

 

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