Free for all who walk through our doors, MASS MoCA’s January 2026 community celebration rocks the galleries with thematic museum tours and art-making in Kidspace. Join us in Building 5 at 4pm for a performance by devynn emory, who was invited by Jeffrey Gibson to activate his exhibition POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT. Please note that this will be emory’s only performance of the day.

FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION ALL DAY

Explore this year’s schedule below. Register in advance to skip the line.

SCHEDULE

10am – 5pm: Art-making in Kidspace
Kidspace, Building 10, 2nd Floor
Join Museum Educators for art-making in Kidspace! Contribute your creativity to a community project and make an individual art piece to take home. All ages are welcome to participate.

10am–3pm: Meet & Greet with Community Organizations
Event Space Building, 6, 2nd Floor
Chat with local community organizations, get involved, and pick up some swag. A full list of participants can be found below!

10:30am: Family Storytime
Meet in Kidspace, Building 10, 2nd Floor
Families with children up to 6 years old are invited to join MASS MoCA Museum Educators for a storytime and related exploration in the galleries. Each storytime will feature a different children’s book about contemporary art, creativity, and/or the themes of the exhibitions on display. The Community Free Day 2026 Family Storytime exhibition is Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective.

11am: Public Highlights Tour, English
Meet in the Building 10 lobby

11am–2pm: Music Art Puppetry Sound (MAPS)
Cosmic Latte, Spencer Finch, B8.2
MAPS (Music Art Puppetry Sound) creates multidisciplinary artworks that engage themes of play, community and learning. This durational performance uses puppets, florescent evocations of interstellar light spectra and generative sound art to tell a story about cosmological and biological interaction.

Noon: MASS MoCA History Tour
Meet in the Building 10 lobby

1pm: Short-Term Exhibitions Highlights Tours (English & Spanish)
Meet in the Building 10 lobby

1pm: Story Time with Mo, hosted by MountainOne
Building 6 Event Space

2–4pm: Connections Tours
Building 4, Building 6, & Building 7 | See map in Building 10 lobby
Stop and talk with a Museum Educator to discover surprising connections and information about the art on display.

4pm: devynn emory: boiling rain
POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT, Building 5
Choreographer and dance artist devynn emory activates Jeffrey Gibson’s Building 5 space.

5pm: Reception
The Research & Development Store
It takes a village to deliver on the high bar set for this Community Free Day. As a big HIGH FIVE to everyone who helped activate this chock-full event, please join us in the R&D Store for a reception where we’ll be spinning the first MASS MoCA Records release by the Kasambwe Brothers along with a mix of upcoming Solid Sound artists like Billy Bragg, Gang of Four, The Breeders and Sharp Pins. We’ll also be signing people up for springtime programs like our Graphic Novel Book Club and a special book talk + dinner event for The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook.

ON-CAMPUS COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

While Supplies Last Lickety Split Café (Building 10) is debuting a new flavor of ice cream (Coffee Caramel Chocolate Chip) this Community Free Day. Stop by for a tasting or scoop, then enjoy their lunch special of 8oz Angus beef burgers while supplies last.

11am–4pm Gary Lichtenstein Editions (Building 13) presents “HOW IT’S MADE: Edition #2” featuring hands on printing demos with the artist, Al Diaz, an American urban artist and lecturer who was among the first generation of graffiti writers int eh community. Learn about silkscreen printing, and Diaz’s approach to the medium. No one goes home empty handed!

12–3pm and 5–9pm Join Casita for lunch and dinner. A love letter to Mexico by way of the Berkshires, Casita offers natural wines, mezcal, margaritas, cervezas, and more. Reservations recommended

Lead Community Sponsor

Programs associated with Jeffrey Gibson’s POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT are supported in part by the Henry Luce Foundation.