Since opening in 1999, MASS MoCA has become one of the world's premier centers for making and showing the best art of our time. With annual attendance of 120,000, it ranks among the most visited institutions in the United States dedicated to new art. More than 80 major new works of art and more than 50 performances have been created through fabrication and rehearsal residencies in North Adams, making MASS MoCA perhaps the most fertile site in the country for new art. The museum thrives on making and presenting work that is fresh, surprising, and challenging.
Visual arts MASS MoCA exhibits work by many of the most important artists of today—both well known, and emerging—focusing on large-scale and complex installations that are impossible to realize in conventional museums. Our broad, soaring galleries with 110,000 square feet of open, flexible space and their robust industrial character have proven both inspiring and empowering to artists. Performing arts An essential and integral part of MASS MoCA's mission are the more than 75 performances staged year-round, including popular music, contemporary dance, alternative cabaret, world music dance parties, outdoor silent films with live music, documentaries, and avant-garde theater. Education Kidspace is a collaboration among MASS MoCA, the Clark Art Institute, and the Williams College Museum of Art where every elementary student in the region—more than 10,000 annually—comes to study and create art. In addition, more than 5,000 children annually experience world-class music, theater, and dance through school-time performing arts events offered by our Art Assembly program.
Economic and Commercial Development To offset operating costs and stimulate job growth in our region, MASS MoCA develops and leases space to a wide range of exciting business, including restaurants, publishing companies, law firms, photography studios, and computer-generated special effects. We also collaborate with many partners across the county to strengthen regional tourism, improve infrastructure for small business development, aand attract and retain residents. Much of this work has been documented and analyzed by our partners at the Center for Creative Community Development, a national research and policy organization operated by Williams College and located on our campus
Mission Statement
MASS MoCA seeks to catalyze and support the creation of new art, expose our visitors to bold visual and performing art in all stages of production, and re-invigorate the life of a region in socioeconomic need.