The spectacularly located and formerly overlooked city of North Adams has been revitalized through ART—cutting edge, large scale, contemporary art. It speaks to some of us in a BIG way.
MASS MoCA exhibits work by many of the most important artists of today—both well known, and emerging—focusing on large-scale and complex installations that are impossible to realize in conventional museums.
Broad, soaring galleries with 110,000 square feet of open, flexible space and their robust industrial character have proven both inspiring and empowering to artists.
Since opening in 1999, MASS MoCA has become one of the world’s premier centers for making and showing some of the best art of our time. With annual attendance of 120,000, it ranks among the most visited institutions in the United States dedicated to new art. More than 80 major new works of art and more than 50 performances have been created through fabrication and rehearsal residencies in North Adams, making MASS MoCA perhaps the most fertile site in the country for modern art. The museum thrives on making and presenting work that is fresh, surprising, and challenging.
On view through April 24, 2016; “Artists’ Choice: An Expanded Field of Photography
In conjunction with a solo exhibition of work specifically made for MASS MoCA, Liz Deschenes has curated a group exhibition featuring six artists whose work expands the field of photography. Dana Hoey, Miranda Lichtenstein, Craig Kalpakjian, Josh Tonsfeldt, Sara VanDerBeek, and Randy West will be represented with a combination of new and existing work (chosen by the artists themselves) that demonstrates their wide-ranging approaches to their art.
Several of the featured artists make work that is considered photographic but is camera-less, while, for others, photography has laid the groundwork for the moving image or functions as a jumping-off point for sculptural investigations. With this small but diverse selection of artists, the exhibition will provoke an open-ended dialogue on the state of photography as an increasingly diversified medium that intersects and informs other fields of art making.
Where to stay….Porches.
Porches is the most visible manifestation, to-date, of the changes sparked by MASS MoCA. Its 47 rooms of retro-edgy, industrial granny chic ambiance make a spirited lodging statement in New England and beyond.
Architecturally minded artists will love staying at Porches. The rehab you see, was inspired by MASS MoCA’s array of galleries and performance spaces taking root in the sprawling 19th-century mill town. Designers stay true to the authenticity of Mill Town living in 20th century New England.
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