MASS MoCA — Attraction in North Adams

This was the perfect local place to take my out of town guests for my birthday 🎂.

I appreciate all of the artists who pour their heart & soul into a display and then share it with us. 4 stars because the facility is quite massive. It's very clean with a few food & beverage options.

We would've appreciated a sign stating that no food or drinks are allowed in the museum before purchasing a pricy coffee drink. We simply would've waited until we were done with the museum instead of wasting it.

There was a large display, which included some ornate carpets inside a grand cage. Imagine a massive, beautiful bird cage. The carpets were meant to automatically lift up or rock. There were many different round fans meant to do the lifting. The fans were about the size of a salad plate. Each is located on the floor, near or attached to the carpets. As the fans took turns, each was incredibly loud. 99% of the carpets didn't work. It seemed to be a faulty display.

I would have given it a 5 star if there had been more sculptures instead of such a massive collection of the painted walls.

There was a separate room featuring a video. As we entered the pitch dark room, several large screens were showing at least 5 burning crosses. Yes, that's right. We entered & all we could see horizontally was cross after cross filling more than 1/2 of the screen high. Each glowing, a blazed on fire. A few of us found It absolutely disturbing. It appeared to be a ritual of sorts. This might be beautiful to many people. Was this video here for shock value? To broaden our cultural awareness? Either way, there are so many different traditions that MOCA could've chosen to expose us, too. Maybe if a podium was placed directly before the room with a simple notice of warning ⚠️ it would've prepared me... given me the choice.

In all fairness, the description might have been in the brochure located way off to the other side of a different wall. We didn't check. Something at the entry would've been appreciated. Just my opinion. That's a visual that won't leave me anytime soon. While I am open to different interpretations of life's experiences, a burning cross under any circumstance is nothing I would have chosen to see. Again, just my opinion.

I will go to MOCA again in the near future. Hopefully, a few exhibits will have changed.

Have a fantastic future to...

I grew up in Massachusetts but hadn’t had the chance to visit the MoCA until this past summer.

I was shocked to learn it’s one of the largest contemporary/modern/visual art museums in the US and it was right in my backyard.

It’s in just about the furthest NW corner of MA so it’s about a 2:00 drive from the Worcester area and 2:45 from Boston without traffic.

Admission is good for two days in a row and comes in at: $20 Adults $18 Seniors $12 Students

You’re also able to buy multi-museum passes at a reduced rate for the other four main museums in the area (would recommend Norman Rockwell if you’re only doing a day trip).

I thought MoCA was a really neat experience.

The biggest draw for me were the (9) James Turrell exhibits. Not many places in the world you’re able to see so much of his work in once place. 2/9 are space limited so make sure to reserve online.

I also really enjoyed Laurie Anderson’s Virtual Reality exhibits. Pretty cool to see artists and museums starting to fuse art and tech successfully.

Most of all, I loved the space. It’s HUGE. It’s a renovated late 1800’s factor building and there are so many unique twists and turns among the galleries - it’s an experience in itself.

Neat to see what they’re doing with the summer concert series/festival and impressive that they’re able to draw acts like Wilco and Maggie Rodgers.

If you’re a Turrell fan, it’s a must see 5/5.

If you’re simply making the long journey for modern art, it’s worth seeing but I wish they made a bit better use of such an expansive space. At time’s it felt like they curated for size/quantity...

Wow. This museum opened right about when I left the area. 23 years later we finally visited. Primarily for the James Turrell and Laurie Anderson interactive exhibits. Now I'm counting down the days till we can come back & continue exploring.

Be Warned. With all the amazing, diverse art there is to see, you likely need all day here.

If you are a senior or otherwise less mobile, there's a lot of walking involved. So don't forget your CBD topicals or gummies. I prefer Chronically Cooking's, but that's another review lol. 😘

One reviewer said you need at least 4 hours to view all the exhibits. What?¿ Maybe to physically scan your eyeballs over all of them, without stopping to absorb let alone read a single placard. We spent 6 hours and didn't even finish viewing all of building 6. The Terrell pieces alone take 15 minutes each and there are 5(?).

All I have to say is, if f you don't go and take the extra steps out to sit for 10+ minutes in the Skyview observatory, or use the restrooms just below the gift shop and Cafe, you failed the mission.

Only disappointment was the size of their gift shop & the pricing therein. I suppose pricing was fairly on par for museums , but still, nah. Wanted some Jenny Holzer and Turrell swag. Did enjoy the showcasing of local business and artists crafts however. Mass MOCA crop tops were dope, but the cut was all weird on the arms & just an inch or two too short for my personal taste. Probably because I also often like to taste food...

Yay my flight is now boarding. Hope you...