Mass MoCA a mecca of contemporary art

It's marvelous
Mass MoCA a mecca of contemporary art
By Kory Loucks
Journal Inquirer
Published: Thursday, June 9, 2011 4:06 PM EDT
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Just two hours away, the sprawling, stunning Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is never the same place twice.

Unlike many museums, MASS MoCA, one of the largest contemporary art museums in the country, has no real permanent collection, and most of the exhibits remain for about 10 months.

Anytime is a good time to visit, but MASS MoCA really comes to life in the summer, with not only art installations, some of which are truly mammoth, but also concerts and live performances through out the summer months and into the fall.

The museum employs 65 full-time employees, most of whom work on maintaining the extensive 100,000-square-foot facility.

MASS MoCA Marketing and Public Relations Director Katherine Myers said visitors love the ever-changing exhibits, knowing that each visit is different than the last.

The museum, which celebrated its 12th anniversary over Memorial Day weekend, originally started with $35 million from the state of Massachusetts; most of the funds were used to refurbish the spacious 19th-century mill.

Today, the museum is independent and self-sustaining, receiving its income from admission fees, the gift store, leasing office space, and a relatively small endowment.

Against all odds, Myers said, the museum is surviving, despite the economy.

“It still continues to be fragile, but its better than when we started,” Myers said.

Their paid docents give tours of the gallery, telling viewers about the artwork and the artists.

What sets the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art apart from most museums is its lack of a permanent collection, unless you consider the semi-permanent “Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective.”

The collection of 105 wall drawings is a collaboration between Yale University Art Gallery, the Williams College Museum of Art, and MASS MoCA.

Covering 27,000 square feet on three massive floors, it has been in the museum since 2008, and is on loan for 25 years, at which time it will consider whether to continue displaying the collection.

LeWitt, a Hartford native who died in 2007 at age 78, was intimately involved with designing the space where his works are displayed.

“It’s like the artist curated his own show,” Myers said.

Rather than paint the artwork himself, LeWitt detailed instructions for others to duplicate his works, but for the most part, they can be replicated at only one location at a time.

For the most part, MASS MoCA does collect art, but has constantly evolving, new exhibits, Myers said, adding that she finds children in particular enjoy the contemporary art.

“Kids love it here because they have no expectations about what art is supposed to be,” Myers said.

For adults, she recommends they leave their “desire to explain everything at the door.”

She said that their Kidspace — although designed for children — is a place where everyone can create art based on a theme, at no additional cost.

The museum also has a summer schedule full of live performances, including its second Wilco Solid Sound Festival, which attracted more than 5,000 fans last year.

The festival is scheduled for three days, beginning on Friday, June 24, with comedy, music, and, of course, lots of art.

The Charlie Chaplin silent film “The Kid,” with live score by guitarist Marc Ribot, will be shown at 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 9.

The museum, at 87 Marshall St., North Adams, Mass. is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and closed on Tuesdays.

Admission is $15 for adults and seniors, $10 for students, $5 for children ages 6 to 16, and free to children 5 and younger.

For more information, call 417-664-4481 or visit:

www.massmoca.org