MASS MoCA, Part 3

On the second day of my long weekend trip to western Massachusetts in March 2026, I visited MASS MoCA, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. Due to the size of the museum, I am covering this visit in three posts. The first part described the building, local history and ecology, and artwork on the exterior. The second part described the my favorite exhibits at the museum. This third part will describe the permanent Sol LeWitt exhibit and give tips on how to visit the museum.

On the left is a wall painting of colorful shapes with the outline of black squares drawn on top; on the right is a colorful, stair-like painting A square divided horizontally and vertically into four equal parts, each a different color Six white geometric figures (outlines) superimposed on a black wall.

The exhibit Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective was unlike anything I had seen at other museums. LeWitt was a minimalist artist, preferring repetitive lines and abstract shapes to representative paintings. He was active from the 1960s until his death in 2007, creating art books, sculptures, landscapes, and wall drawings. While museums around the world hold his works, MASS MoCA has the largest collection. Scholars from Yale University Art Gallery and Williams College Museum of Art took part in the assembly process, as 105 drawings had to be translated from paper to about an acre of wall surface on three stories of Building 7. A documentary video played outside the gallery showed the process of painting the walls, which happened in 2008 with restoration during 2021 and 2022.

On blue walls, all two-part combinations of white arcs from corners and sides, and white straight, not straight, and broken lines. A wall drawing with circular black and white stripes like a bullseye Blue, red, and yellow jagged lines down a wall.

The wall drawings can be sorted into a few different categories. Some are simple lines drawn mechanically in accordance with a plan devised by LeWitt. For these works, the key explaining the system behind these lines was drawn onto a wall beside the completed artwork. Other line drawings create shapes by drawing some lines in a different color perpendicular to the background. Still others focus on squiggly lines, simple shapes, bright colors, or unusual geometry. All wall drawings are precise, seemingly using exact measurement and highly controlled methodology.

A line of big squares made by a two by two grid of smaller squares in turn made by a two by two grid of smaller squares in gray, yellow, blue, and red. The wall is bordered and divided horizontally and vertically into four equal parts with a black band. Each quarter is striped in a different color: gray, yellow, red, and blue. A six-part drawing in the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. Vertical and horizontal lines create a circle, square, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, and parallelogram.

While abstract artwork is not usually my preferred style, I do have a few favorites. Wall Drawing 340 is a six-part drawing in the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. Vertical and horizontal lines create a circle, square, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, and parallelogram. Wall Drawing 610 was a colorful, stair-like painting next to Wall Drawing 692, which had colorful shapes with the outline of black squares on top. Wall Drawing 462 had circular black and white stripes like a bullseye. Wall Drawing 1152 reminded me of the board game Candyland for its colorful, swirling lines. Besides and unique take on art, this is a great room for selfies with artistic backgrounds.

A long abstract shape made of blue, yellow, purple, and red bands. A black five-pointed star, a yellow six-pointed star, a red seven-pointed star, and a blue eight-pointed star. Parallel curves in black and white.

MASS MoCA is open Wednesday through Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Current prices are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors 65 and older plus veterans, $15 for students with ID, $10 for children ages 6 to 16, $2 for people who use a wide range of state agencies, and $0 for MASS MoCA Members. The museum space is huge, and it took me over six hours to see everything even without taking any of the tours or signing up for special exhibits. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk. The map provided by the museum is clear and super helpful while navigating the space; you may want to bring a pen to mark off where you have gone. The website mentions gallery stools, a great way to have a rest, but I did not see there during my visit and accordingly would have appreciated a few more sitting spots. Overall, visiting MASS MoCA was an amazing experience and a must-see for those visiting northwestern Massachusetts.

A cube without a cube and a cube without a corner drawn on the wall. Colorful swirling lines intersecting with each other, with each path divided into segments of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Arcs, circles, and irregular bands in the same bright colors as its neighbor
Location: 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247, USA