Witnessing Winter Challenge

A long wooden bridge is covered in a fresh layer of white snow. The scene is illuminated by a fiery orange sunset that reflects off of the snow and water under the bridge. There are trees at either end of the bridge with no leaves.
The North Bridge after a fresh coat of snow.

NPS Photo/Fuoss

One Revolution: A Year of Art and Inspiration at Minute Man National Historical Park

Witnessing Winter Challenge

A virtual public art project
December 1, 2020- February 28, 2021

 
A wooden house with two and a half stories covered in snow. Two large trees tower in front of the building and a stone fence marks the boundary of the road. A wooden house with two and a half stories covered in snow. Two large trees tower in front of the building and a stone fence marks the boundary of the road.

Left image
Hartwell Tavern in Winter
Credit: NPS/Lawson

Right image
Drawing of Hartwell Tavern in Winter
Credit: NPS/Jackson

 

Please join us for Witnessing Winter, the first of four challenges in our One Revolution public art collaborative with The Umbrella Arts Center! We need you to show us the beauty and the battles of winter in Massachusetts; a quiet season so few visitors experience and which so many of us who live here may take for granted (or even dread). Help us Witness Winter at Minute Man National Historical Park with fresh eyes and new perspectives. Show us the 1775 witness houses covered in clean, white snow.

We’ve created 2 worksheets to help get you started. One is a large window, which you may decide looks upon an interior kitchen scene at the Hartwell Tavern, or looks out on a fox hunting the farm fields from Meriam House. The other worksheet offers 4 windows and a door just waiting for you to paint one of the Brooks Village houses in the blue light of a full moon, or draw the Wayside decorated for the holidays.

 
A worksheet style prompt for a drawing or coloring project. The text reads: One Revolution: A Year of Art and Inspiration at Minute Man National Historical Park, Witnessing Winter Challenge, A View from the Road.  The primary image is blank except for a d

The Umbrella Arts Center


 
A worksheet style prompt for a drawing or coloring project. The text reads: One Revolution: A Year of Art and Inspiration at Minute Man National Historical Park, Witnessing Winter Challenge, Through the Window. The primary image is blank except for a wind

The Umbrella Arts Center


 
 

Challenge Instructions

  1. Save one of the Witnessing Winter worksheet images to your computer. Open the image and print it. You may also contact The Umbrella to have a pdf e-mailed to you or a hard copy mailed to you.
  2. Draw, paint, color, doodle, or use computer software to create your artistic impression of a Minute Man Witness House, or landscape that may be viewed from the house, set in winter.
  3. Don’t let us stifle your creativity; we welcome poetry, short stories, photographs, or even videos of dance and music inspired by the homes and history of Minute Man National Historical Park.
  4. Post your challenge submissions on social media with the hashtags #WitnessingWinter and #OneRevolutionArt. Include the house or location in the park that inspired you, your name, and where you’re from in the post. Make sure you tag both @MinuteManNPS and @theumbrellaarts.
 

Rules to Remember

Learn more about Witness Houses at Minute Man

Use the Park Map to find Witness Houses

 
Four worksheets featuring drawings of park witness houses
Examples from the Minute Man Ranger Staff
 
NPS Arrowhead and The Umbrella Arts Center logos




If you have questions about the challenge, contact One Revolution Project Coordinator Caroline Provost: caroline@theumbrellaarts.org or (978) 371-0820 x 213.

Last updated: December 13, 2021

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

North Bridge / Park Headquarters
174 Liberty St.

Concord, MA 01742

Phone:

978 369-6993

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