September set for public opening of $16 million Renovation

(CONCORD, August 17, 2021) The much-anticipated final phase of Concord Museum’s decade-long $16 million renovation project will culminate with the opening of 10 new permanent galleries and a public celebration starting on Labor Day, September 6 through September 12, 2021. This last installation marks the completion of the redesign of the entire Museum and over 20,000 square footage of space.

The ten new galleries opening in September include a renewed focus on Concord’s famous Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, the women who led the effort to abolish slavery, and African Americans who lived in Concord before and after the Civil War.

“Concord has played an outsized role in our nation’s history,” said Tom Putnam, Edward W. Kane Executive Director. “And these new galleries – combining iconic artifacts and dazzling media components –bring that story to life in a dramatic new way.”

“The great strength of the Concord Museum collection lies in the many objects that were present at and even participating in the epochal events narrated in the history books,” explained David Wood, Curator. “In the newly opened galleries these artifacts offer insights into the cultural and political conflicts and accommodations that define Concord’s history from its incorporation in 1635, reflecting on lives lived in the spotlight of fame as well as lives lived almost invisibly.”

The lives of two of Concord’s most prominent and influential intellectuals, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, feature prominently in the new spaces. In 1930, the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association decided to move the furnishings of Emerson’s study to the Concord Museum so that people could visit it year-round. The Museum’s new re-installation includes an interactive element, allowing visitors to learn more about the objects on display in his study and some of the famous people who visited his study- like Louisa May Alcott. Nearby is bust of Emerson made by sculptor Daniel Chester French. Emerson sat for the young artist over 30 times and arguably, this is the best portrait sculpture of the famous writer.

The Concord Museum has long been a site of pilgrimage for readers of Henry David Thoreau, and two new galleries celebrate his life and works as never before seen. In one, visitors stand in front of Thoreau’s desk and are immersed in a media presentation based on a series of quotes from his writing. An elegant text treatment of these quotes animates from individual screens and at times surrounds visitors on all sides. Filled with texture and evocative imagery inspired by the natural, spiritual, and social world in which Thoreau was steeped, this presentation expresses his philosophy and viewpoint of a world in which boundaries between the individual and the universal are blurred.

A second gallery features iconic artifacts from the Museum’s collection of over 250 objects related to Thoreau. Guided prompts and interactive media accompany the visitor as they encounter artifacts Thoreau made or used himself, such as his flute. Thoreau once described his approach to playing the flute as “unpremeditated music” improvising against his own echo while on the water.

Another exhibit explores slavery in Concord, using maps, probate records, and other archival material to bring to life the experiences of the men, women, and children whom the law referred to as “servants for life.” By 1830, when the institution of slavery had ended in Massachusetts, Concord was home to 30 African American inhabitants, including the Garrison family. Jack Garrison (1768-1860) arrived in Concord in 1810, having fled enslavement in New Jersey. Two years later, he married Susan Robbins Middleton, who had grown up in Concord. At the age of 92 Jack Garrison was gifted a walking stick to honor his longevity. This walking stick, displayed in the gallery along with his portrait, acts as one entry point to explore the African American experience in Concord. Included here are artifacts associated with the Concord Female Anti-Slavery Society, established by Mary Merrick Brooks in 1830 to raise awareness and rally funds to support the abolition of slavery and immediate emancipation for enslaved people. Susan Garrison was a member of the Society and worked with her neighbors to make Concord into a hub of antislavery activism, attracting notable speakers like John Brown and Frederick Douglass.

In the final set of new galleries visitors encounter a silversmith plying his craft in a workshop on the Milldam, a Black yeoman farmer at work in his fields, a wealthy magistrate welcoming visitors to his parlor, and family secretly preparing rebellion on the eve of April 19, 1775. Taken together these galleries showcase decorative arts made and sold in Concord and provide a glimpse into the home of men and women who lived at both ends of the economic spectrum.

“We are thrilled to be opening these new permanent galleries,” said Executive Director Tom Putnam, “which completes the transformation of the Museum and will allow visitors to see Concord’s history in a whole new light.”

CELEBRATE CONCORD

Monday, September 6 – Sunday, September 12, 2021
In celebration of Concord’s Birthday and the Opening of Concord Museum’s new permanent galleries, the public is invited to a week of special events including gallery talks, forums, walking tours, and family activities! For a full program listing visit www.concordmuseum.org.

The New Museum Experience project began with the construction of the Rasmussen Education Center, 2018, and was followed by the completion of a new Gateway and shop. The following year, two new exhibition spaces opened: Concord: At the Center of Revolution contains ten iconic artifacts of Concord’s compelling history and provides an introduction to other exhibitions; and People of Musketaquid pays tribute to the Indigenous people of Massachusetts who lived on these lands beginning12,000 years ago. Last year, the Museum opened April 19, 1775, a multi-dimensional exhibit that recounts the fateful moment when the first shots were fired and the American Revolution began. In addition to the sixteen state-of-the-art gallery spaces, the renovation replaced outdated electrical, lighting, life safety, and air handling systems from the 1930 Museum building. The Museum’s redesign was in partnership with Amaze Design and Richard Lewis Media Group.

Sponsorship

The redesign of the Concord Museum’s permanent galleries is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund.

Concord Museum

Concord Museum educates visitors of all ages about the history of Concord and its continuing influence on American political, literary and cultural life. The Museum’s nationally significant collection serves as a catalyst for changing exhibitions, extended classroom learning, dynamic programs and publications relevant to an ever-changing world. Founded in 1886, the Museum is the center of cultural enjoyment for the region and a gateway to the town of Concord for visitors from around the world. Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA. 10742. www.concordmuseum.org

Amaze Design

Amaze Design is museum planning and exhibition design firm based in Boston.  Their portfolio is diverse and includes high-profile signature projects both in the United States and overseas. Examples include the National Museum of Australia, the African Burial Ground Interpretive Center, the Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum, the Longyear Museum, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the American Writers Museum.

Richard Lewis Media Group

RLMG is an acclaimed digital design studio specializing in interactive installations, films and custom media for public spaces. They work closely with clients and partners to transform content into meaningful and memorable experiences. RLMG’s creativity, experience, and project management skills have made the company a valuable partner and collaborator for many of North America’s leading museums, architects, and exhibition design firms.