My Trip to the Berkshires
A Self-led Artist Retreat
One week ago I was in North Adams for a solo getaway in search of art, nature, and solitude. It was a wonderfully full trip to a curious spot in New England with high mountains, beautiful views, and very little cell service. While there I was able to explore a little bit of the town and drive through the scenic byways that surround it such as the Mohawk Trail and Mt. Greylock. North Adams itself is a little town where the artists seem to thrive with inspiration and the joy of making. At the base of the picturesque mountains lies the town, where the boom of the mid-1900s industry has been lost but not forgotten. It is a mix of renovated Victorian homes and dilapidated housing projects, some established businesses that were able to survive COVID, some trendy new businesses, and some that have fizzled leaving only a crumbling facade with faded lettering. Artists and students seem to keep this town bustling. There is MCLA, Williams College, and Berkshire Community College all within North Adams and the surrounding mountain towns. Of course, outside of the natural splendor, there is the main attraction and my main reason for visiting- the MASS MoCA.
MASS MOCA did not disappoint. I got there right when they opened and made a beeline for the sold out exhibit by James Turrell at the advice of the information desk attendant at the welcome entrance. Being the early bird that catches the worm I squeaked in ahead of their next appointment and enjoyed a transformative show of light immersion. Alone in a room of colored light your retinas are forced to see what is not real, and to submit to a strobing effect that I can only describe as a trip without the body high.
Next, I wandered through this crazy old mill made modern until I found yet another mind-altering experience, but this time I donned a virtual reality headset and was transported to the moon, or, this artist’s version of the moon. Laurie Anderson took me on a narrative journey in her work To The Moon that almost left me in tears. I truly left this world for 15 minutes and flew among the stars.
Sol LeWitt’s 25 year retrospective of reproductions is jaw-dropping in the intensive process it took to create these installation pieces. A collaboration of Yale University Art Gallery, the Williams College Museum of Art, and MASS MoCA enabled a team to come in and paint or draw 105 pieces of art directly on the wall. This exhibit will be on view for an unprecedented 35-year period! Chris Doyle delighted me with his oversized video installation that pulsed across a darkened warehouse-sized room while I watched from my beanbag chair, in awe of the depth of his imagination. The exhibit Like Magic had me entranced. My overall experience at the museum left me very impressed and I contemplated the infinite possibilities of the human mind to create art, some aspects of which I doubt AI could ever replicate. There are many of us who like more traditional art- as do I!- but the beauty of modern art is that we have removed any boundaries on our minds. We can create something so unique and display it in an infinite number of ways to give the viewer an experience unlike any they’ve had before. What power! To dig deep into our souls to tell a visual story.
And speaking of the more traditional, painting en plein air is a form of art-making that dates back centuries, and it is something I’ve recently come to enjoy very much! I was lucky enough to get out onto Mt. Greylock not once, but twice. I completed two small plein air paintings on gessoed paper, and enjoyed the beauty of nature while doing it.
On the evening of the second day, and last night of my trip, I went out to see what a North Adams First Friday looks like. My first stop was a MOSAIC Gallery 51 which was putting on an artist talk with artists from their current Migritude exhibit. I stayed for Clemente Sajquiy’s presentation about his work and his inspiration. After that I didn’t see a lot going on, but I’m glad I stopped in this cute little plant shop, The Plant Connector, for directions. She pointed me toward historic Eagle Street where I found several art galleries clustered together having openings such as the Installation Space and Future Labs Gallery. I met Alison Pebworth, an artist originally from San Francisco who relocated here and had a beautiful little storefront shop that doubled as her studio. I met Carolyn Clayton, the co-founder and residency director for the Walkaway House, as they were opening their doors for their open studios and a live band. I also met several artists currently in residency there- a horticulturist woodblock artist from Baltimore and a mixed media artist from Connecticut. I found that connections could be made swiftly and easily in a town where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is family.
First Friday has a small, yet delightful, concentration of open galleries and artist studios in the downtown area. I’m glad I asked around and finally found where the party was hopping! I’d recommend the area for a few nights stay to get in your art-making and art sightseeing, but I could’ve stayed on an extra day for a big hike to the top of Mt. Greylock for some solid exercise! Instead, I only had time to drive to the top, which does have some incredible views from the Veterans War Memorial Tower at the top.
Check out what I made, and thanks for reading!
Top: View from Jones Nose Trail, July 4th
Bottom: View from Mount Fitch overlook, July 5th
