Resident Artists receive 24-hour access to private studio space on the MASS MoCA campus, plus lodging in newly renovated, furnished apartments across the street from the museum, right in downtown North Adams. We provide seven communal lunches per week in the company of your fellow residents. When many residents are arriving on the same day, we also host a welcome dinner for the group on that first evening.

Residents also receive the benefits of temporary MASS MoCA membership: access to the galleries during regular museum hours; invitations to member openings; member discounts on performing arts events; and member

The Studios at MASS MoCA has studios in two buildings. Building 13 has an elevator to the studios on the second floor and Building 34 has a ramp to the first floor entrance, though the ramp is not fully ADA-compliant. Stairs are not necessary for either building and both have wheelchair accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms with grab bars around the toilet. Building 13 has a handicap door button to enter the building, Building 34 does not. Housing for the Studios at MASS MoCA is located on the third floor of an apartment building across the street from the museum and requires the ability to climb two flights of stairs. Upon your acceptance, if you have any concerns or questions in regard to housing and accessibility please contact us immediately. While primary housing accommodations are not ADA compliant, MASS MoCA does have limited alternate housing available for these situations. We are happy to work with you to ensure you are able to attend and accept the residency

Check out this video that shows the layout of the program apartments and studios:

Each resident is provided with a private room in one of three newly renovated, four-bedroom apartments. Each bedroom is furnished with a bed and dresser, pillows, bed and bath linens, etc. (No need to bring any bedding unless you prefer to sleep on your favorite pillow, etc.) Each apartment also has its own shared bathroom and kitchen, wifi, and laundry. The kitchen will have some basic cooking equipment and coffee. Residents are responsible for providing their own breakfast, snacks and dinner. The apartments are within easy walking distance of the local grocery.

Please note that the artist housing is located in a small but busy downtown area and there are several restaurants and a bar on the ground floor of the apartment building.

Studios are situated in two buildings, Building 13 & Building 34, on the MASS MoCA campus. Each of the spaces and each of their studios have their own dimensions and provisionsSome are better for work made on the floor, some for work made on walls. Every effort is made to pair residents with a studio that matches their practice. The smallest studio is 120 sq ft and the largest is 280 sq ft. The average size is about 172 sq ft. Wall material ranges from drywall to brick. Floors in Building 13 are plywood, while in Building 34 they’re cement. Each artist receives a private and lockable studio space with 24/7 access.Each studio is minimally furnished with a desk or folding table, a chair, and a small shelving unit. Additional folding tables are available. Lighting is overhead LED troffers (typical commercial office lighting) and we have clamp lights to augment. There are shared slop sinks in both buildings. In addition, each building has a small supply closet with the tools listed below and an assortment of leftover art supplies. All necessary art materials and equipment must be provided by the participant.

B13 & B34 are each equipped with basic hand tools and supplies as listed. Artists should plan to bring any additional specialized tools or equipment needed for their projects.

• Hammers
• Measuring tapes
• Allen wrenches
• Sewing machine (Singer Heavy Duty 4432)
• Clothing iron
• Painting easels
• Shop Vac
• Limited extension cords
• Wireless, color, ink-jet printer
• Additional folding tables
• Projector (several short throws and one long throw)
• Cordless drill

In Building 34, we have two presses available. Each session, a local print technician offers a free hour-long tutorial to the presses.. If you would like individual support for special projects, one-on-one assistance is available at $40/hour.

The Martech Etching Press:
A generous donation to the program, this press has the reputation of being a well-designed etching press. Large diameter rollers and a gear reduction hand-crank allows for smooth and easy travel even under extreme pressures and produces less stress to the etching plate and paper. Collagraphs and woodcuts are also possible on this press. The plate bed is 32” x 51” and the maximum recommended paper size is 22” x 30”.

Bradley Flat-bed Hydraulic Press:
The flat-bed press is designed for relief printing, mono-printing and embossing; however, nearly all plates can be printed including etchings. When printing monoprints with movable applications, the downward force keeps everything in place and heavy ink does not spread across the print as it does with an etching press.
Supplies: We supply a small variety of etching inks and additives as well as an assortment of brayers and etching tools. While limited options of paper are available for sale, artists should come prepared with their own plates, paper, and any specialty tools or inks.

We have two looms available in the Building 34 studios. Looms can be reserved in advance by both experienced and beginner weavers. Private Instruction is available for beginners at a rate of $40/hr, offered by a local weaver. Artists are expected to provide their own yarn.

22-inch Harrisville Loom: Jack-Loom, 4 harness (set-up with roughly 110 heddles per shaft).
Accompanying equipment for 22” loom:
Crank Handle (stored in loom bench)
Reeds: 18 dent, 20 in. (currently on loom), 14 dent, 24 inches, 12 dent, 22 inches
Raddle: 27 inches with 1 in. spaced nails (attached to back beam)
Treadle tie ups: chain, 11 count
Lease sticks
45-inch Herald Loom:

Jack-Loom, 4 harness (currently set up with ample heddles)

Accompanying equipment for 45” loom:
Reeds: 6 dent, 45 inches, 8 dent, 45 inches, 10 dent, 45 inches
Raddle: 48 inches, with 1 inch spaced nails (attached to back-beam)
Treadle tie ups: nylon
Lease sticks: 2 x 47”

Additional Weaving Equipment
Loom bench (23” tall, 24” seat, 37” wide with side compartments)
Warping board 35” x 38”
Warping board 26” x 38”
Stick shuttle
Heddles
Boat shuttle
Assorted Bobbins

The Studios does not have a designated darkroom, however with advanced notice we can assign you to a studio with limited light and custom-fitted black-out curtains to turn it into one. This DIY system has worked very well for artists using a variety of developing processes. The Studios does not supply and chemicals or bath containers, so the artist should plan to bring or have shipped everything they’ll need.

Both the studios and the apartments have wi-fi. Do note that recent bandwidth policy changes at MASS MoCA now prevent artists from streaming video while in the studios, but we have gotten special permission for music streaming. Video streaming at the apartments is not restricted (although multiple users streaming simultaneously can still limit the bandwidth).