Musketaquid Earth Day: Change is in the Air

Musketaquid Earth Day celebrations at The Umbrella will be different this year. In accordance with state guidelines, all activities will be outdoors and limited in capacity. All attendees will be required to register in advance, wear masks, socially distance, complete a health survey prior to participating, and follow recommended health and safety protocols.

On Saturday April 24, there will be outdoor workshops on The Umbrella lawn where families can build our traditional Earth Floats. We will provide Covid-safe outdoor workspaces for assembly, along with natural construction materials and guidance on making an Earth Float. To keep participants to a safe number, we are asking people to pre-register for one of three time slots: 12 noon,1:30pm, or 3:00pm. Preregister for a time slot via Google Forms, but note you'll still need to complete registration by downloading the Umbrella Artfest App. 

After completing their Earth Floats, the builders may launch them in individualized ceremonies at the Lowell Road boat ramp on the Concord River or take them home for later launching.

While participants build their Earth Floats, the air will be filled with music. Singers with backgrounds in opera, musical theater, and folk music will celebrate the beauty of air and song with vocals performed from the front of The Umbrella.

On Sunday, April 25, Earth Day celebrations will continue with the opening of the Change is in the Air: Art Walk, which replicates the traditional Musketaquid Earth Day parade path through Concord Center and safely celebrates this year’s Earth Day theme of Air. Visual artists, Leah Medin, BARD, Nayda Cuevas, Liz Helfer, Laurie Bogdan, and Monkeyhouse resident artists Nicole Harris, and karen Krolak have created six outdoor art works expressing our air theme with banners, windchimes, pinwheels, and flags. 

Also on Sunday, two small Chalk the Walk events at Chamberlain Park will mark the opening with participants using sidewalk chalk to respond to Nayda Cuevas’s Wish for Change banner. These Covid-safe events will occur at 11:00 AM, and will require pre-registration via Google Forms, but everyone is free to travel the Artwalk Route at any time.

Musketaquid Earth Day represents the kickoff of The Umbrella Artfest: Here Comes the Sun. This will be an expansive multi-week festival of arts, performances, and creative community events including both virtual and safe, in-person options for participation. It will continue through May 16.

There is still a little time left to see the Earth Month Exhibition: Change is in the Air in The Umbrella Main Gallery. You can sign up to view the exhibit in person or you can view the exhibit virtually.

Earth float photo on this page by Greg Ciccarelli