What We Do
MASS MoCA is a contemporary art museum that emphasizes bold creative exploration and fosters surprising connections between people every single day. We uphold artistic freedom and are an indispensable home for artists who stretch ideas toward what has yet to be created. Our industrial campus originated as a major textile mill – Arnold Print Works – in the mid-19th century, and evolved to be the Sprague Electric Company in the mid-20th century. We are now a globally renowned, contemporary art museum and fabrication center. With a rich history of serving as an economic engine of the City of North Adams and the surrounding region, MASS MoCA’s vast galleries, artist studios, and a variety of indoor and outdoor stages are able to embrace art in all forms.
Mission
MASS MoCA is a center for creative exploration and uncommon connection that amplifies the global artistry of our time while contributing to the vitality and vibrancy of our city.
Visual Arts
MASS MoCA exhibits art by both well-known and emerging artists, focusing on large-scale, immersive installations that would be impossible to realize in conventional museums. The broad-shouldered, raw industrial character of our soaring galleries (with 300,000 square feet of open and often naturally lit space) has proven both inspiring and liberating to artists.
Performing Arts
MASS MoCA presents more than 75 performances and residencies year-round, including contemporary dance, cabaret, world music, dance parties, indie-rock, progressive bluegrass, silent films with live music, and music festivals including Wilco’s Solid Sound, FreshGrass and Bang on a Can. Indeed, the word “museum” in our name is misleading because 50% of MASS MoCA’s programmatic resources, staffing, and emotional bandwidth is devoted to the performing arts, and our commitment extends to hosting work-in-progress showings and residency workshops of new work.
Public Programs
MASS MoCA’s Public Programs initiatives integrate artists, community, and expanded education by focusing on knowledge exchange, inquiry, and collaboration. The department amplifies and enhances MASS MoCA’s visual and performing arts offerings through programs in creative and cultural practices often found outside of exhibition-making and performance presentations. Programs expand our networks and learning while deepening our commitments to our communities.
This network of shared advocacy is dedicated to achieving greater goals: supporting nonprofit organizations, strengthening local businesses, and making a lasting economic impact across the region. Through these efforts, we not only contributed to the growth of our community, but also enriched learning and knowledge, creating opportunities for everyone to engage with contemporary art. Our work emphasizes the importance of access to MASS MoCA, ensuring that art and culture remain a vital part of the lived experience for all.
The Studios at Mass MoCA
In this MASS MoCA residency program, we give visiting artists from around the world the time and space for their own creative development, be it in project execution, reflection, or to simply try something new.
Our Creative Campus
It’s more than a museum here at our downtown former factory campus. Plan to pad your visit to the MASS MoCA galleries with singular shopping experiences and delicious food and drink. Make time for a break with house made ice cream or locally brewed craft beer and coffee. We are home to over 40 creative businesses. And be sure to check out more art, parks, shops, and restaurants across our campus and throughout our beloved home city of North Adams.