EJ Hill’s exhibition Brake Run Helix is an offering to our community—not only to experience the individual and collective joy of the roller coaster at its center, but also to activate the exhibition’s stage through conversations, performances, and gatherings in the spirit of joy.

Join us as we work alongside Hill and partners in the Berkshires and around the world to convene live events in the exhibition in the spirit of joy. Keep an eye right here for news about upcoming programming, which will be announced on a rolling basis.

Community Events

October 12, 5–7pm
NORTH ADAMS PUBLIC SCHOOLS (NAPS) FAMILY NIGHT
North Adams Public School students and their families, teachers, and administrators are invited to join us throughout the museum for food and fun, including a collaborative art project about the meaning of community in Brake Run Helix. Admission is free and open to NAPS students, families, teachers, and administrators; learn more about the event here.
 
Past Events

Saturday, January 28, 10–5pm
FREE DAY
Black Legacy Project and Latinas 413 perform as part of MASS MoCA’s Free Day community celebration. Admission is free; full schedule and details for the day can be found here

Thursday, March 9, 5–8pm
MASS MoCA AFTER HOURS
MASS MoCA After Hours, featuring an indoor carnival with pop-up poetry from Northern Berkshire Community Coalition’s Teen Writing Workshop and other local performing artists, a photo booth, and cotton candy. $5 admission for Berkshire residents, free for members.

Thursday, April 13, 5–8pm
MASS MoCA AFTER HOURS
MASS MoCA After Hours, featuring soundtracks curated by visual and performing artists. Bring your phone and headphones to listen in! $5 admission for Berkshire residents, free for members.

April 19–22, 7pm
URBAN BUSH WOMEN
Urban Bush Women perform as part of their site-responsive performance Haint Blue. (Tickets are limited!)

Thursday, May 11, 5–8pm
MASS MoCA AFTER HOURS
MASS MoCA After Hours, featuring live music from Misty Blues, whose new song Roller Coaster Man is about Granville T. Woods, the African American inventor of the rollercoaster. $5 admission for Berkshire residents, free for members.

Select weekdays, July 12–27, 1:30 & 4:30pm
Pop-Up Gallery Concerts
Brake Run Helix is one of the sites for pop-up gallery concerts from Bang on a Can during museum hours.

July 31–August 4
AN OCCURRENCE AT BRAKE RUN HELIX
Youth attending Camp MASS MoCA create a theatrical happening, to be performed in Brake Run Helix.

Are you interested in proposing a pop-up community event in EJ Hill: Brake Run Helix? Send a 150–250 word proposal describing the event to brakerunhelix@massmoca.org. Proposals should include any tech/AV/setup needs, any restrictions on dates/times when the event could happen, the name of your community group, and the best phone number and email address for us to get in touch with you. Please keep in mind that proposals should be for events lasting 45 minutes or less, taking place during museum hours (Fall/Winter/Spring: Wednesday–Monday 10–5, Summer: Wednesday-Monday 10–6).

Generous support for Brake Run Helix is provided by the VIA Art Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Further Forward Foundation, and the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation.

EJ Hill, joy study (3 flags), 2018
Courtesy of the artist