Take 5 with Tom Flint
September 9, 2025 by Kelby
The Umbrella Arts Center is excited to expand its Artist-in-Residence program in 2025, welcoming five artists who work in diverse mediums to create work on projects and engage the Concord area in their process. Education Artist-in-Residence Tom Flint is offering free courses for students in grades 6-8 and their families as the Arts Elevate Artist-in-Residence for Youth Wellness in Greater Lowell. This program is supported by the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) in partnership with the Barr Foundation.
Tom is a moving image educator and maker whose interests meet at the crossroads of film, education and cultural exchange. Flint graduated with a BA in Film + Media Arts from Temple U. and an MA in Art + Design Education from the Rhode Island School of Design with a focus on alternative approaches to film education. After 15 years living overseas, he is now settled in Lincoln, MA, where he runs Filmbuilding, a program which curates filmmaking experiences to promote cross-cultural exchange.
"Take 5" with Tom to learn what inspires and excites him about the Artist-in-Residence program and more!
TUA: What's your earliest or most treasured memory of making art?
It may not be my earliest memory, but my strongest memory of making art as a child was when I was given an old-school camcorder for Christmas one year and started experimenting. I was totally captivated by the act of creating a story that could be recorded and then shared with others. It was fun and engaging on so many levels, particularly when I was collaborating on a film project with my friends. I was in a constant state of flow.
TUA: What most excites you about your current projects?
What excites me most is the newness of the challenge. The fact that I'm doing something I've never done before and therefore have the opportunity to learn new things and inspire others and myself in new ways. I aspire to keep a beginner's mind with every new project I take on - whether it's a film education workshop or a film production project - and this is what keeps me both grounded and open.
TUA: Who do you most admire who is currently working in your field?
There are way too many talented artists out there doing incredible work to name just one! I'm inspired a lot by many of the younger artists on the scene (or off the scene!) who are very much in the earliest stages of their craft and unburdened by fame or social pressure. Whether it's film or music or dance or textiles, this is when the work can be highly experimental, less self-conscious, and somehow manage to encapsulate the universe within. I can't wait to see what my students at the Umbrella will create!
TUA: What are you most looking forward to experiencing or accomplishing during your time as an Umbrella artist-in-residence?
I think this residency presents an exciting opportunity for the Umbrella to expand its programming and explore new directions with the medium of film, and I'm just so thrilled to be a part of it. The filmmaking workshops and events we have planned this fall will allow us to experiment more with moving image-based programming that will fit in nicely with what the Umbrella already offers, yet provide something entirely new. Each of the four workshops we are running is completely distinct, so I'm proud of the fact that we're not resting on our laurels and are really digging deep into what film might provide into the future.
TUA: What's your philosophy as a teacher of and ambassador for your art form?
Above all, I see the collaborative arts, and in particular film, as an opportunity for immense growth and learning. Filmmaking is both fun and challenging on so many levels, and therefore encourages collaborative problem-solving at every step of the creative process from ideation all the way up to the screening experience itself. Rather than a more industry-centric approach to filmmaking which focuses more on technique and perfection, I rely on a discovery-based approach which I believe allows for deeper exploration - of oneself, one's peers and the world around us - throughout the process. The more certain you are of your vision the easier it is to execute, but the more difficult it is to open yourself up to discovering something new.
