Local High School Students Exhibit Artwork at MASS MoCA in Teen Invitational

Fifth annual exhibition opens on April 10

NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS – This year’s Teen Invitational, the fifth annual exhibition featuring art by local high school students on view in MASS MoCA’s main galleries, opens with a reception and awards ceremony on Friday, April 10, at 7pm. The exhibition is on view through Sunday, April 12. Organized in collaboration with Northern Berkshire high school art teachers and young artists, the Teen Invitational is an opportunity to showcase artwork created by students from seven regional high schools.

Works submitted to the Teen Invitational are evaluated by a panel of MASS MoCA staff, area artists, and teachers. Students compete for cash awards that directly support their schools’ art departments or tuition credits at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. “We want to open the doors for all kinds of art-making, high or low, formal or informal, in school or out of school — the Invitational celebrates the wide variety of ways in which these young people express themselves,” says MASS MoCA’s Director of Education Laura Thompson.

The goal of the Teen Invitational is to reach all students who are engaged in the visual arts in the Northern Berkshires, and who have made excellent work, inside or outside the classroom. Many of the participating students take art classes in school, but those just testing the waters in the arts are also encouraged to submit work. Formal art training is not required.

“We love this raucous show,” says MASS MoCA Director Joseph Thompson. “Anything that gets high school students cheering for their artist friends as if they were in the middle of a high school basketball play-off is a great idea. It’s fun, and the art gets better and better every year, which speaks volumes about the quality of our local high school art teachers.”

The Teen Invitational exhibit opens at MASS MoCA on Friday, April 10, at 7pm, with free admission to the galleries. Participating schools include Drury High School and McCann Technical School in North Adams; BART and Hoosac Valley High School in Adams; and Buxton School, Pine Cobble School, and Mt. Greylock Regional High School in Williamstown. An awards ceremony and announcements takes place at 7:30pm, with a reception to follow at 8pm. The Grizzlies, a band comprised of students from Mt. Greylock High School, will perform at the reception. The artworks remain on view at MASS MoCA on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, from 11am to 5pm (gallery admission required).

About MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. Hundreds of works of visual and performing art have been created on its 19^th-century factory campus during fabrication and rehearsal residencies, making MASS MoCA among the most productive sites in the country for the creation and presentation of new art. More platform than box, MASS MoCA strives to bring to its audiences art experiences that are fresh, engaging, and transformative.

MASS MoCA’s galleries are open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition reopens on April 15, 2015. Gallery admission is $18 for adults, $16 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit massmoca.org.

Download the 2015 Teen Invitational press release