Recharge

Last week my husband and I took a quick two day vacation for our wedding anniversary. (Lucky 13!) With such a short time away from home we wanted to stay within Massachusetts, so we decided to head up to North Adams.

If you've never been to the Berkshires, you are really missing out.  Aside from the gorgeous natural scenery, there is a funky contemporary art scene thanks in large part to Mass MoCA.

Downtown North Adams - Photo by Beyond_My_Ken Wikimedia.org

I'm not exactly an art expert, but I've had a fair bit of exposure to modern art through my French classes. My husband, Sean, however is well known for his preference for realistic representations in art. So you can imagine that we had somewhat different opinions of the art at Mass MoCA.  Here are a few of the exhibits that we both enjoyed:

We loved "Here Comes the Sun" in the Kidspace.  (It figures that we would like the kid-friendly art the best!) The use of bullets, sneakers, books and other common objects to create animals and nature scenes was very entertaining. It was fun to try to identify the objects that the artist used and to find puns and other visual jokes in the works.

Sol LeWitt exhibit in Paris. Photo by Bava Alcide57 - Wikimedia.org

The Sol LeWitt exhibit of wall drawings was also engaging.  I loved the colors, patterns and textures.  The Mass MoCA galleries are so gigantic that it's possible to put together immense walls. It felt immersive, like walking through a painting.  As an artisan, I found the designs so inspiring.

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We worked up quite a thirst walking through the galleries.  Happily the Bright Ideas Brewing company is right on the Mass MoCA campus. We'll definitely make this a stop again the next time we're passing through.

For our second day, we ventured down to Pittsfield to visit the Berkshire Museum. I loved that this museum has displays of art, history, science and culture under one roof. There is even an aquarium in the basement! It was just the right size for a one day visit.  The Finding Raven and Living on Earth exhibits were particularly impressive.

Although it was only two days away from home, I came back feeling creatively recharged and ready to get back to puzzle making.  What gems in the Berkshires should we visit the next time we're looking for a getaway? Let me know in the comments!