North Adams, Massachusetts: Sights and Attractions

There's no mistaking North Adams for anything other than an industrial town whose industrial base has fled -- rows of clapboard houses need paint, shuttered storefronts line the streets, and a general air of negligence pervades much of the city. But like the legendary phoenix, an amazing transformation is taking place. North Adams is rising from its ashes and becoming a vibrant center for contemporary art, and an incubator for young artists. In fact, North Adams is poised for flight.

There are lovely churches, and streets lined with pots filled with colorful flowers. And the 1938 Art Deco style Mohawk Theater is in the process of being renovated.

Along Eagle and Sykes streets artists' storefronts are strongly reminiscent of Greenwich Village - from a studio filled with detailed and intricate Judaic paper cuts to antique shops ripe with age and an air of benign neglect. In one such shop we saw a jukebox with a "sold" sign on it. We knew someone who would really like that old jukebox so we inquired: "How much did you sell the jukebox for?" The owner sighed, and said "$5,000." There was a pause as we considered that information. "But I'll never see the money." He sighed again. "I sold it to my wife. She wants it for the store she's opening down the street."

In some ways, there was a good foundation for the current contemporary art boom. The artist Eric Rudd has lived there with his family for years. The residents of North Adams seem quite fond of Mr. Rudd. The sweet white-haired lady in the tourist information booth (who probably should know these things) told us that Rudd receives permission to close off one the streets in town and haul in sand to create an urban beach. "The children love it, and so do the adults," exclaimed our informant.

Rudd also began to rent out space, nurturing the Contemporary Artist Center (of which he is the Founding Director) at the other end of this large brick somewhat musty-smelling building . Contemporary art can, we suppose, be shown in new modern buildings. But for art that attempts to create an environment, to provide an experience, to invite the viewer not merely to look but to interact, the right setting provides an extra level of grittiness, of complexity.

The CAC however is more than an art gallery. It has, for more than a decade, been a not-for-profit facility established by working artists for working artists. It offers housing, work studios and demonstrations of new processes. It's the home of the Monster Press, one of the largest presses in the country.

The art created by the residents and students of the CAC spills over into the community. Empty storefronts become mini-showcases. Old wooden buildings are transformed into visual statements of shifting colors.

You may go to North Adams to see Mass MoCA but stay to see a town that it is coming alive, right before your eyes.

Learn more about North Adams

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