MASS MoCA is the largest contemporary arts center in the United States and serves many functions that traditional museum spaces cannot. Since MASS MoCA is such a new museum, most of its history lies within the building and the site itself. The museum is housed within the grounds of a 19th century factory, totaling 25 buildings and 13 acres. Industry and manufacturing have occurred in this area for many years, so the buildings have had a wide variety of occupants and uses. In 1985, the last manufacturer on the site, Sprague Electric Company, closed. The ideas and plans for MASS MoCA began to form in 1986, with the state approving the plan in 1988. The design developed with renown architects, and the museum opened its doors in 1999.The huge industrial spaces allow for some interesting and unique art to be installed. There is no "white box" when you have seemingly endless nooks and crannies in addition to large and cavernous spaces. On the day I visited, I saw several exhibits that used the spaces in very different ways.
Guy Ben-Ner had several videos exhibited in various configurations. His daughters co-star with him in his slightly abnormal takes on everyday places and things.
This is Killing Me was a more traditionally laid out exhibit, commenting on the trials and tribulations of artists trying to come up with new ideas.
The Sol LeWitt Retrospective is the blockbuster exhibit at Mass MOCA. The wall drawings are pretty magical and overwhelming. The scribble series are my favorite. A video area helps visitors better understand the ideas behind this highly conceptual art.
The museum is so vast, you can easily spend most of the day there. There is also an outdoor space where they show movies and have performances. The kids art-making space is somewhat of a gallery itself, even for those of us who aren't kids! There was some really cool assemblage projects snaking around the space.
This show was amazing. I have always liked LeWitt's work, but seeing so many of his works installed together was fantastic. The show is up for 25 years so I hope you all will have a chance to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI highly enjoyed your description of MASS MOCA. I haven't been there in ten years and your pictures and descriptions make me want to go back. I think you hit the nail right on the head when you said MASS MOCA gets rid of the white box. I know when I was there for an undergrad class, it felt more like a museum in London where you could sit on the ground and just look at the art. Too bad it is so far away from Boston but I guess that makes getting there all the more interesting. I really liked the pictures you included, they were awesome. It really livened up the blog.
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