“I was never good at math,” says Wayne Geehan, a resident artist at The Umbrella. In his studio of seven years, across from a crackling fire in a brick-laden hearth—“painted,” he explains, “for a play”—and surrounded by portraits of swashbuckling pirates—characters for an aspiring board game—lay several stacks of books with medieval knights and castles adorning the covers. Wayne is the illustrator of the successful Sir Cumference math adventure series. The irony is not lost on him. “Luckily someone else figures out the math part.”

The Wicked Local's Readers Choice Awards are once again up online.  Please vote for The Umbrella Community Arts Center in the following categories: Place to See Theater, Place for Family Entertainment, and Summer Camp. We would be honored to have your vote and support. Thank you!

To view the ballot click here.

To learn more about the awards click here.

-written by artist-in-residence, Nina Earley

2014 has been an incredible year for everyone at The Umbrella, our end-of-year checklist has never been more full!  Between our growing theater program, our education outreach, and our monthly open studio events, the building feels more alive than ever. 

“Some, however, would derive the word from sans terre without land or a home, which, therefore, in the good sense, will mean, having no particular home, but equally at home everywhere.” - Henry David Thoreau, Walking

During our November First Thursday last week, over a hundred people came to The Umbrella to participate in our first Empty Bowls event for an evening of charity, art, food, and fun.  Three tables laden with bowls were set out in our brand new gallery while wave after wave of visitors searched for the bowl that spoke to them.  

Free Family Drop-in Day

When Ann Emerson, the founding director of the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts, died this summer at her home in Maine, the lights flickered for everyone who was involved in that brave undertaking 32 years ago which now thrives as The Umbrella Community Arts Center.

Ann was at the core of its creation, directly (as the director) and through the immediate and extensive friendships and trust that she engendered in her fellow artists and the Concord community.

Last Thursday the clay studio opened for a final bowl making workshop just our resident artists. Being artists, our ceramics program coordinator Caitlyn Marsh anticipated their willingness to freely explore the clay and tools with less instruction or demonstrations. Other than a brief how-to on the slabroller, that pretty much was the case.