Mass MOCA

Now in his second term as Mayor of North Adams Massachusetts there was hope and expectation of change when he defeated the long term Mayor John Barrett III. Other than a dramatic rise in property taxes there is scant evidence of progress. Many attribute that to catching up with decades of neglect, collapsed infractucture, decline in schools and social services. An architect, gallerist and pragmatic visionary Ralph Brill in an open letter to Alcombright offers a blue print for change and the creation of jobs for the depressed city.

Joining the three-day Wilco celebration at Mass MoCA will be the acclaimed singer and songwriter Neko Case, indie-rock heroes Yo La Tengo, jazz adventurists Medeski, Martin and Wood, Duluth's low-fi darlings Low and a reunited Dream Syndicate whose Solid Sound performance will mark the full band's first North American concert in 25 years.

In Boston's blue collar neighborhoods digging out parking spots evokes survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle. Shovel out a spot and you own it. Move and mark your space with a lawn chair. Leave and hope that its not occupied when you come back. If not all hell breaks loose.

Comedian, author, television personality and historian John Hodgman returns to Solid Sound 2013 to present another hand-picked line-up of comedic talent on Saturday, June 22. The Solid Sound Festival, brainchild of the Chicago-based musical innovators Wilco, returns to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams on June 21-23.

The vast vaulted space of Building Five is roughly the length and width of two, end to end, football fields. Globally, there are only a handful of similar spaces. The basic approach of artists over the last 13 years has been to jam it full or leave it relatively empty. The current installation "Phoenix" by Xu Bing realizes its full potential. In this second and final installment of an extensive dialogue Mass MoCA director Joe Thopson discusses the museum's programming and challenges.

Even before Mass MoCA opened Joe Thompson was negotiating with the Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping to participate in the group exhibition Unnatural Science in 2001. That led to a retrospective organized by the Walker Art Center. Major installations followed in the vast Building Five by Cai Guo-Qiang and currently Phoenix by Xu Bing which is on view for the coming year. This is the first of two parts of a dialogue about contemporary Chinese Art.

There were many daunting impediments in presenting Phoenix a vast sculptural installation by the leading Chinese artist, Xu Bing, at Mass MoCA. This third major project with contemporary Chinese artists remains on view in North Adams for the coming year.

The exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe originated at Mass MoCA. We reviewed the Guggenheim Museum installation for Maverick Arts in 2008. This was one of three major exhibitions featuring contemporary Chinese artists. The others were Huang Yong Ping in 2006 and the current, 2012-2013 installation by Xu Bing.

This article originally appeared in Maverick Arts a site prior to Berkshire Fine Arts in 2006. Because of the continued interest in contemporary Chinese art by Mass MoCA is has been reposted. The museum is currently showing Xu Bing. This article has a link to a recent exhibition of work by Ping in New York.

Currently two massive sculptures comprising Phoenix by the Chinese artist, Xu Bing, are installed in the vast space of Building Five at Mass MoCA. We first were introduced to the work of the artist through a 1995 exhibition Language Lost at Mass College of Art. It was our first exposure to contemporary Chinese art which has since moved to the critical mainstream. This is a portfolio of vintage images of that earlier project.

Hurricane Sandy flooded the Chelsea galleries resulting in the loss of entire exhibitors and millions of dollars worth of inventory in basement storage areas. During a holiday tour we found mostly business as usual with the major galleries with some still closed for renovation. We provide an in depth slide show of several of the more noteworthy exhibitions.

With one show already nearly sold out (Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum on Saturday, February 16), MASS MoCA'sWinter/Spring season has started with a bang before it's even been announced. The first big event of the season is FREE Day on Saturday, February 9. This annual event attracts thousands to MASS MoCA for a full day of art-making, tours, contests, demonstrations, performances, and more.

OMG, OMG. Hurry hurry hurry. Wilco Tickets are on sale to Mass MoCA members starting today. The "early bird" three day passes at a bargain $99 will go quick as a blink. But once they're gone there will be a discounted $124 for the passes which after this window of opportunity will cost $149. So be the first kind on your block to score passes to this sure to be awesome event.

There are ways to consume culture at affordable prices. There are half price tickets for Broadway shows and lawn access at Tanglewood. A movie costs about ten bucks or you can see it on Netflix. Kids pirate downloaded music and videos. But it takes deep pockets to travel the world visiting great monuments and museums. Only the mega rich can afford to own the contemporary art displayed in galleries and museums. For social and economic reasons the fine arts are more elitist and esoteric than other art forms. Then there are matters of taste- High Brow, Middle Brow and Kitsch.

The October 2012 WFF went off without a hitch, well almost. BerkshireFineArts has already given overviews of this year's film festival. This report is primarily about short films, or Shorts, and their highly succesful screenings during a five day long movie feast!

Many recall the fine cuisine of Chef Gerhard Schmid from his Gateways Inn in Lenox in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, and the Devonfield Inn, formerly known as Haus Andreas in Lee, from 1980-1994. He is now presiding over the kitchen of Haflinger Haus an elegant mansion in Adams, Mass. Some 40 members of the Berkshire International Club gathered there to enjoy his special Octoberfest menu.

Now in its 14th year the Williamstown Film Festival has been compressed from two weekends to one Wednesday through Sunday stretch. That saw an increase of guest artists and visitors who hung in for the duration of the unique cinematic event. Yet again, artistic director, Steve Lawson, concocted a heady mix of many short films and several stunning features. There was a sell out for the thursday opening night of Dreamscape, followed by a party at Mezze. On Friday Mass MoCA was packed for Knuckleball. This is the first of two reports and several interviews.

Using a digital high definition video camera Wolram Hissen, for three years, intersected with the Berkshire based artist Stephen Hannock. The resultant documentary Dreamscapes is featured in the 14th annual Williamstown Theatre Festival. This is the second of three installments of a studio visit and dialogue with the artist.

The documentary film Dreamscapes by Wolfram Hissen will be screened on Thursday October 18 at the annual Williamstown Film Festival. Following the film, its subject the artist Stephen Hannock, and Top Chef producer and chief judge, Tom Colicchio, will engage in a dialogue with tasting at the restaurant Mezze. Hannock has been involved by creating paintings for a dozen new restaurant projects with Colicchio and his partner Danny Meyer. We met with Hannock in his Berkshire studio to discuss the film and his latest art projects.

What started as a doodle in 1963 has catapulted to Earth as Jerry's Map. The vast installation by Jerry Gretzinger is on view at the Hunter Center of Mass MoCA for just one week. For an ET experience trip on over to the North Adams museum through Sunday, October 14. Beam me up Scottie.

The Williamstown Film Festival's 14th season will run October 17 through 21. On the schedule: 37 films (many of them premieres) a half-dozen parties, and events at MASS MoCA, the Clark Art Institute, and Images Cinema.

The Bandana Splits bring nostalgic charm to MASS MoCA's Club B-10 on Saturday, October 6, 8 PM. The Brookyn-based trio -- Dawn Landes, Lauren Balthrop, and Annie Nero -- recreates the bubblegum pop and doo-wop styles of the 1950s and '60s with upbeat three-part harmonies featuring ukuleles, guitars, and even kazoos.

In his most recent body of work at New York's Dodge Gallery, David Cole navigates memory, history, national identity and the interlocking resonance of each. Cole's protean craftsmanship gives voice to both a scholarly knowledge of this nation's past and a conscientious understanding of what it means to be an American today.

There were volunteers assisting in another Art About Town project to paint colorful, geometric patterns on the streets of North Adams. It was a community celebration of the pop up galleries of the annual summer long DownStreet. There was a lot to see and do for children and art lovers of all ages.

Williamstown Theatre Festival supported the Berkshires community by bringing nearly 41,000 audience members from 44 states and 6 countries while they attended the work of 401 members of the WTF Company including staff, apprentices, and artists!