Last weekend I had the pleasure of leaving it all behind and slinking off to Florida for the weekend!
Well, Florida, MA. Details.
Tucked away in the snowy mountains, I ran off to an amazing cabin for three days with the intention of checking out the largest Contemporary museum in the country, Mass MoCA. It did not disappoint.
(Petah Coyne)
Lots of art, lots of dreamcatchers, lots of Friendly’s (why?!), the Berkshires are one particular area I strongly recommend you make a day…or ideally a weekend of!
Background: History of North Adams on Wikipedia
Pre-requisites: No commuter rail nearby, so this is a voyage for the car ridden. But it is an easy 2(ish) hour drive West. Bring a mix tape.
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Mass MoCA
Address: 87 Marshall Street, North Adams, MA 01247
Hours: open 11 – 5, closed Tuesdays. Check for extended hours during holiday weeks in December, February, and April.
Cost: (Free first weekend of the month through Bank of America)
What People are Saying: Mass MoCA on Yelp
How: Official Website
What/Why: ”Since opening in 1999, MASS MoCA has become one of the world’s premier centers for making and showing the best art of our time. With annual attendance of 120,000, it ranks among the most visited institutions in the United States dedicated to new art. More than 80 major new works of art and more than 50 performances have been created through fabrication and rehearsal residencies in North Adams, making MASS MoCA perhaps the most fertile site in the country for new art. The museum thrives on making and presenting work that is fresh, surprising, and challenging.”
Select exhibitions Currently on Display:
Katharina Grosse: One Floor Up More Highly
(on view through October 31, 2011)
(on view through February 27, 2011)
Petah Coyne: Everything that Rises Must Coverge
(on view through April 03, 2011)
S
Material World: Sculpture to Environment
(on view through February 2011)
Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective
(Ongoing)
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If you are headed out to Mass MoCA, one assumes that you have a set of wheels. The following suggestions are either in North Adams, or within a quick driving distance of this spot.
- ART
North Adams Co-op Art Gallery
Address: 33 Main Street, North Adams, MA
Hours: Monday, Thurs-Sat 11-6, Sunday 12-4
Cost: Free
How: Official Website
What/Why: ”The North Adams Artists’ Co-Operative Gallery, otherwise known as the NAACO Gallery, is an independently member-run organization of over 35 active and talented, primarily regional, artists exhibiting works in the fields of fine and applied arts.”
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Norman Rockwell Museum
Address: 9 Route 183. Stockbridge, MA 01262
Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Weekends and holidays: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
May-October and holidays:open daily: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and until 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays in July and August
Cost: $15.00 for adults: buy on location,$13.50 for seniors 65+,$10.00 for college students with valid school I.D.,$5.00 for children/teens ages 6 – 18
What People are Saying: Norman Rockwell museum on Yelp
How: Official Website
What/Why: ”Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to education and art appreciation inspired by the legacy of Norman Rockwell. The museum preserves, studies and communicates with a worldwide audience the life, art and spirit of Norman Rockwell in the field of illustration.
The museum is a gathering place for reflection, involvement, and discovery through the enjoyment of the artist’s work. Norman Rockwell’s unique contributions to art and society, popular culture and social commentary influence the museum’s programs and interpretations.”
Note: Not typically a fan of “Americana” art, I have a new found appreciation for the man and his craft after visiting the museum. He was definitely a master of capturing expressions. Also, it is fun to tour the grounds and check out his studio
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Clark Art Institute
(The Artist’s Wife in His Studio, Louis Leopold Boilly)
Address: 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday,September through June, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Cost: Free
What People are Saying: Clark Art Institute on Yelp
How: Official Website
What/Why: ”The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is an art museum and a center for research and higher education, dedicated to advancing and extending the public understanding of art. No other institution of its scale and character has such a complex and exhilarating mission—complex because interrelating the differing purposes of an art museum and a center for research and higher education is so challenging, and exhilarating because the possibilities and implications of this combination are so dynamic.
The Clark’s mission and its geographical location define three essential, interrelated aspects of its character and identity: the quality of its art, the beauty of its pastoral setting, and the depth of its commitment to the generation of ideas.”
The museum houses a fine collection of European Art including the work of one of my favorites, John Singer Sargent.
(Madamoiselle Jourdain, John Singer Sargent)
Select Exhibition:
The Strange World of Albrecht Durer
(on view until March 13th, 2011)
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- GRUB
Gramercy Bistro
(Located in the Mass MoCA complex. Reservations recommended)
Categories: American (Traditional)
Address: 87 Marshall Street, North Adams, MA
What People are Saying: Gramercy Bistro on Yelp
How: Official Website
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Brewhaha
Categories: Coffee & Tea, American(new)
Address: 20 Marshall Street, North Adams, MA 01247
Hours: Open 7am to 5pm Daily (closed on Wednesdays)
What People are Saying: Brewhaha on yelp
What/Why: ”Welcome to cafebrewhaha.com - home of brewhaha in North Adams, MA, located across the street from MASS MoCA. We have been told by our customers many times over that this is home to some of the very best breakfast, lunch, baked goods, coffee drinks and tea in Northern Berkshire County.
We offer a very diverse menu including vegetarian and vegan fare.
Our menu consists of dishes prepared with only the freshest ingredients. We bake our muffins on site, support local food companies and keep a very close eye on the quality of both our food and service. The salad we make is a favorite to many and our specialty coffee drinks (featuring illy Espresso) are a tasty way to put a little spring in your step for the day.
Coffee by the pound is also available featuring many blends and brands from all around the world.”
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South Street Cafe
(ugh. so good.)
Categories: Café/ Coffee Shop/Pastries
Address: 105 South Street, Bennington, VT
What People are Saying: South Street Cafe on yelp
How: Official Website
Note: Lots of great coffee, desserts, and board games to keep you occupied. Including: DOGOPOLY.
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Barrington Brewery
Categories: American (Traditional)
Address: 420 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Hours: Serving Food Monday through Thursday 11:30am to 9:30pm, Friday & Saturday until 10pm, Sunday 9pm
What People are Saying: Barrington Brewery on Yelp
How: Official Website http://www.barringtonbrewery.net/
What/Why:“ Since 1995 the Barrington Brewery has been serving our own Barn Brewed Beer and food made from scratch and we were the first brewery on the east coast to install a solar panel system that supplies solar-heated hot water for brewing and restaurant use.”
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Madison Brewing Company
Categories: Breweries
Address: 428 Main Street Bennington, VT 05201
Hours: Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm; Sun 11:30am-9pm
What People are Saying: Madison Brewing Company on Yelp
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Rattlesnake Cafe
Categories: Tex-Mex
Address: 230 North Street, Bennington, Vermont
What People are Saying: Rattlesnake Cafe on Yelp
How: Official Website
What/Why: “The Rattlesnake Café is a chef owned restaurant. We specialize in creating dishes that blend traditional Mexican cooking with a modern twist. From traditional favorites like Fajitas and Tacos, to our exciting Aztec Shrimp and Mexican Pizza. We also offer specialty burgers, wings and a variety of fresh daily specials. We use only the best ingredients available including locally grown produce and we make everything in house, fresh, everyday.While most of our dishes are only mildly spicy we will be happy to make any dish as hot as you’d like. Go ahead and challenge us!”
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In the winter months there are plenty of places nearby to ski, sled/tube and snowshoe and can only imagine how the area comes alive in the summer with swimming/kayaking/canoeing/rafting/hiking/ziplining/otheroutdoorsying.
(Resting, John Singer Sargent)
I guess I will just have to head back in the warmer weather to experience it first hand. ;*
I miss the Berkshires already, and know I’m not the only one:
♥
