Article by Dave Read.

MASS MoCA occupies an industrial complex built between 1870-1900 by the Arnold Print Works, which produced printed textiles until becoming unprofitable during WWII. Then, the local Sprague Electric Company bought the property and manufactured capacitors and electrical components until competition forced it to close in 1985.

See also: performing arts events at MASS MoCA in 2014.

Within a year, a group from the nearby Williams College Museum of Art looked at the property as a place to display and exhibit large works of modern and contemporary art that wouldn’t fit elsewhere. That began the process that led to an $18.5 million grant from the state and the 1999 opening of MASS MoCA.

The exhibition, Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective, which Time magazine called the “…top museum exhibition of 2008,” will be exhibited in a 27,000 sq. ft. building through 2033. Since 2001, MASS MoCA has been home to the Bang on a Can Summer Institute, which was curated in 2010 by Wilco.

MASS MoCA contact info., map, driving directions

• 87 Marshall St.; North Adams, MA 01247
• Fall, Winter, Spring Hours: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. closed Tuesday
• Admission: $15 adults; $10 students; $5 children 6–16
• Phone: 413.MoCA.111
• Web: massmoca.org