Join us for the 14th Annual Teen Invitational, a weekend-long exhibition featuring over 250 works of visual art by students and teachers in ten high schools in the northern Berkshires. The opening reception is on April 16, 2026, from 6 to 9pm, and the exhibition is on view through Sunday, April 19. The reception is free and open to the public.

This year’s Teen Invitational is centered around Lara Downes’ The Declaration Project in which student artists are invited to submit artworks related to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, reflecting on our nation’s history, what it means to be an American, and projecting hopes for the next 250 years.  

Participating schools include: The Academy at Charlemont, BART Charter School, Buxton School, Darrow High School, Drury High School, Hoosac Valley Middle and High School, McCann Technical High School, Miss Hall’s School, Mt. Greylock Regional School, Pine Cobble School, Pittsfield High School and The Greater Commonwealth Virtual School. The goal of the Invitational is to reach students who engage with visual art and who have made excellent work, inside or outside school settings. Students participating in the Teen Invitational are taking formal art classes in school, but those just testing the waters in the visual arts also have a chance to participate. 

The Teen Invitational is produced with MASS MoCA’s Activators. The Activators at MASS MoCA is an ongoing opportunity for local teens in Berkshire County to engage with the museum. The Activators receive in-depth knowledge of museum work and strategy by working with our staff, participating in studio visits with artists and community members, and producing a large-scale project as a culmination of their work with us.

Learn more about The Declaration Project here.

Core education funding is provided by the WLS Spencer Foundation.

The 2026 MASS MoCA Teen Invitational is supported by the Ruth E. Proud Charitable Trust, The Berkshire Eagle, and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, with in-kind support from The Artist Book Foundation.

Pitcured: Performances at MASS MoCA’s 13th annual Teen Invitational in 2025.