MASS MOCA

On Friday we all drove back to Massachusetts, this time to tour the Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams.  The buildings remain from a century ago when this was a major mill area.  The mills closed and so did the income and jobs of the residents.  The UMass art department, in an effort to increase tourism, established their contemporary art program in 19th century factory buildings in North Adams.  The idea was good but only moderately successful from a financial standpoint

This was Jerry and Anna Lee’s second visit to the museum and we enjoyed having our family to share the excellent and not so good art that fills 140,000 square feet of gallery space.  The art includes videos as well as stationary pieces on the floors, hanging from the ceiling and mounted on the walls.  The size of the pieces range from a quarter inch Small Black Ball to multiple floor to ceiling installations.

Bennett preferred the videos and light effects and gave some good comments about those he liked and those he did not.

 Sol LeWitt’s walls fill three floors.

Nick Cave’s sculptured forest of lawn ornaments have been transformed into a beautiful and challenging statement about race in our country.  He has taken what are usually party ornaments and replaced the normal spinning shapes with outlines of guns and bullets.

Climbing a ladder leads to a garden where lawn jockeys have become dream catchers surrounded by flowers.

 

 The installation ends at Mylar waterfall representing a metaphoric cleansing.

Bennett enjoyed creating his own art at KIDSPACE

and determining what the animals were made of.

These holograms were quite surprising

.Back in Castleton, Jeff and Bennett challenged Dave and Edan to an air hockey match and, of course, the more skilled players won.