Elevate Your Spirits in New England’s “ArtCountry”
There’s more to the northern Berkshires than meets the eye.
By Kim Knox Beckius|May 11 2018|
The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA | Guide to MASS MoCA
Credit: Courtesy of the Porches Inn
The Clark Art Institute
Credit: Jeff GoldbergCredit: Jeff Goldberg With the same knack for making magic out of the mundane, contemporary artists and creative entrepreneurs have transformed post-industrial North Adams, Massachusetts, and neighboring northern Berkshires small towns into “ArtCountry,” a sought-after destination for recharging body and soul. Alluring to even more of the senses than California’s Wine Country, this region known for four powerhouse art museums—all included in your $40 ArtCountry combo ticket—has the forces of nature to thank for hanging the most precious works on display. Graceful mountains, half-a-billion-year-old white marble bedrock, a powerful river, lily-topped ponds—even ardent art lovers are torn between spending time indoors and out. You’d might as well get comfortable with this dilemma because when you book the ArtCountry package at The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA, you’ll be beckoned outside by this pastel-painted inn’s lovely grounds and by rocking chairs stationed on sprawling front porches, but equally tempted to stay glued to your luxuriously engineered, pressure-relieving mattress… enjoying the coffee and homey breakfast treats you can have delivered to your door. Resist the urge to sleep late, though. When you stay at this one-of-a-kind historic property, where retro furniture and vintage accents “camouflage” what is actually a thoroughly modern, tech-equipped, boutique hotel, you’re ideally situated to begin peeling away the layers of this diverse place and shedding any stress that inhibits your optimal wellbeing.
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
Credit: Kim Knox BeckiusCredit: Kim Knox Beckius Just steps from the inn stands MASS MoCA, ArtCountry’s most monumental reinvention. A year ago, the opening of Building 6 within this complex of 19th-century factory buildings doubled the attraction’s size, making it once again the largest contemporary art museum in North America. You’ll be startled and fascinated by the sheer scale of the installations that are possible within these brick structures’ enormous halls.
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Interior
Credit: Kim Knox BeckiusCredit: Kim Knox Beckius MASS MoCA owns no permanent collection, but it has established long-term partnerships with avant-garde superstars like Laurie Anderson, who routinely creates virtual reality worlds and other new experiences within her experimental realm. Even seemingly static works, like Sol LeWitt’s enormous, geometric wall drawings, beg for interaction. These bold backdrops are an Instagram fan’s paradise. Some evocative creations, such as two of James Turrell’s nine Into the Lightenvironments, are so popular that reservations are required. MASS MoCA’s busy calendar of concerts and performances, along with unveilings of new work, keep this 19-year-old institution always feeling like a start-up. Just in time for hot summer days, Taryn Simon’s expansive Assembled Audience + A Cold Holeinstallation gives visitors the chance to immerse themselves in frigid water…or watch others take the plunge. Perhaps your senses don’t require a jolt quite that extreme. The beauty of waking in ArtCountry is that you’re a short drive from just the sort of inspiration that speaks to your individual spirit. The region’s museum partners have a blockbuster summer line-up planned. Contemplate art’s role in creating arbitrary distinctions between humans and animals when you view the RAWR!exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art. Head just across the Vermont line to the Bennington Museum, where folk art masterworks by Grandma Moses displayed in a new gallery will remind you creativity has no upper age limit. Visit The Clark, where the enchanting permanent collection is augmented by this summer’s big show, Women Artists in Paris, 1850–1900, showcasing nearly 70 remarkable works by painters who defied art’s gender barrier.
Hiking in the Berkshires
Credit: Kim Knox Beckius
