Thursday – October 25, 2012
Our goal today was to drive back to North Adams to visit the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art – they call it Mass MoCA – then drive home. It was a beautiful drive through rural New Hampshire from Peterborough to North Adams. The weather was chilly and overcast, but it wasn’t raining so it was a pleasant ride through the New England countryside.
Current Exhibits at MASS MoCA
Mass MoCA is housed in a 150 year old former industrial site. To read about the fascinating history of the buildings go to www.massmoca.org and click on About and then History. After we passed so many abandoned mills, it was good to see one huge complex being repurposed. The museum was formed in 1999 and was the beginning of a resurgence of tourists and employment in North Adams.
Contemplation?
There were several exhibits of contemporary art on display at this time. The largest exhibit was a retrospective of Sol Lewitt’s paintings. The huge spaces of the industrial buildings were perfect to showcase the artist’s works. It was interesting to see the development of Lewitt’s paintings during his lifetime.
Sol LeWitt Looking Out
Exhibition Space
Invisible Cities
It was very interesting to experience the spaces inside the buildings. One could only imagine what it must have been like when the buildings were full of machinery and working people. According to the history of North Adams, the Sprague Electric Company was actively producing electronic components from 1942 until 1985. Here is one example of a large manufacturing company closing and contributing to massive unemployment in one New England town in my lifetime.
Mixed Emotions, Tantrums & Grudges For Sale
Smaller business as well as Mass MoCA are currently using some of the commercial spaces in the buildings. Other spaces have been converted to lofts for artists. Hopefully, the trend will continue and there will be increased employment for people in the region.