Open Studios

Open Studios 2025

Saturday, May 3 - 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Sunday, May 4 - 12:00pm - 5:00pm

40 Stow Street, Concord, MA 01742

The Umbrella Arts Center is home to more than 60 working artists skilled in a variety of fine and applied arts including ceramics, glass, fiber arts, jewelry making, illustration, mixed-media, painting, photography, printmaking, illustration, sculpture, woodworking, writing and more. Our annual Open Studios is an incredible opportunity to meet our artists, learn about their process, and share in celebrating their work.

Open Studios is blooming bigger and better than ever this year, with activities the whole family can enjoy! Partake in shopping, hear live music, view our gallery exhibition, sample concessions, and participate in fun activities such as lawn games and a scavenger hunt.

Our popular annual spring Ceramics Sale features over 25 Umbrella artists’ work, which makes for perfect Mother’s Day gifts ranging from handheld vessels to large scale sculpture, from the functional and foodsafe to the decorative and whimsical!

This program is offered in partnership with Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area during the Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History. Learn more at freedomsway.org.

Skills Demonstrations:

     • Saturday, May 3:
          ◦ Room 109, 12:00 - 5:00 PM: Palo Coleman, woodworking
          ◦ Room 201, 1:00 - 1:30 PM: Alice Rosa, colored pencil drawing
          ◦ Studio 306A, 2:00 - 2:30 PM: Jean Lightman, oil painting
          ◦ Room 201, 2:00 - 3:00 PM: Ceramics
          ◦ Studio 206, 3:00 - 3:30 PM: Paul Ruhlmann, woodworking
          ◦ Studio 113, 4:00 - 4:30 PM: Suzanne Hill, ceramicist
     • Sunday, May 4:
          ◦ Room 109, 12:00 - 5:00 PM: Palo Coleman, woodworking
          ◦ Room 201, 1:00 - 3:00 PM: Ceramics
          ◦ Studio 206, 1:00 - 1:30 PM: Paul Ruhlmann, woodworking
          ◦ Studio 303, 2:00 - 2:30 PM: Jill Goldman-Callahan, cold wax & charcoal
          ◦ Studio 113, 3:00 - 3:30 PM: Suzanne Hill, ceramicist

Other happenings by location:

On the front lawn: Challenge your family and neighbors to a friendly lawn game! Several sets will be available, such as Kubb and Jenga. Plus, take a photo with the Concord 250 Lantern, and see special exhibits by Discover Concord and Barefoot Books!

The Allie Kussin Gallery Lobby Welcome Table: Scavenger Hunt (for ages 3+): Explore artists’ studios and the Umbrella Arts Center building! Obtain stamps for visiting places and completing activities. Gain enough stamps and earn an art-related prize..!

The Allie Kussin Gallery in front of Concessions: Live Music by The Backwards Hats: May 3 1:30 - 4:00 PM

Room 222: Free Family Activities (for ages 3+)
     • May 3, 1:00 - 4:00 PM: instructor Krystle Kelley leads a drop-in mixed media craft for families. Crafting typically takes 30-45 minutes.
     • May 4, 1:00 - 4:00 PM: instructor Kathryn Kim leads a drop-in clay craft for families. Crafting typically takes 30-45 minutes.

Rooms 223 and 224: Annual Spring Ceramics Sale: Our popular annual sale features over 25 Umbrella artists’ work, which makes for perfect Mother’s Day gifts ranging from handheld vessels to large scale sculpture, from the functional and foodsafe to the decorative and whimsical!

The Wedge Gallery: “Under Our Umbrella” Studio Artist Exhibition: Climb the stairs to the upper gallery to take in works created by The Umbrella’s impressive group of studio artists across many mediums. These works will also be available for sale!

The Allie Kussin Gallery: “Weaving an Address” indoor exhibition: Curated by artist Marla McLeod, this outdoor/indoor public and gallery art exhibition features 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.

In nearby Walden Woods: “Weaving an Address” outdoor exhibition: 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. A map of the art trail is viewable in the Allie Kussin gallery and links via QR code to the parking lot at the trailhead.

Afterward, in Main Stage Theater 144: Make a day of it by having dinner out in Concord, then attending our evening performances of the uplifting folk musical, THE SPITFIRE GRILL, on Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 PM or Sunday, May 4 at 5:00 PM, when you may take advantage of our KidCare programming of supervised art activities during the show's run for ages 5+. (Note: While there is no official rating system for live theater, you may see TheUmbrella.org/spitfire for more information about plot content and age appropriateness of THE SPITFIRE GRILL.)

photos by Marion Stanton (1-3), Sumner Blount (4-6), and Mark MacKenzie (7-10)