America's Largest Contemporary Art Campus in an Old Mill

At a Glance

MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts opened 1999 on the former Arnold Print Works textile mill. At 250,000 square feet of exhibition space, it is the largest contemporary-art museum in the US.

From Mill to Museum

The mill closed in 1985. Former Williams College Museum director Thomas Krens proposed the conversion in 1986. Bruner/Cott masterminded the plan, leaving brick, timber and steel trusses largely intact across 19 buildings.

Long-Running Installations

• Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing Retrospective (2008–2043), four floors, 105 works.
• James Turrell — nine light installations.
• Anselm Kiefer's 20-ton lead ship room.
• Jenny Holzer, Laurie Anderson, Joseph Beuys large works.
• Building 5 — football-field commissions.

Visiting Tips

3 hours from NYC, 2.5 from Boston. $25; ticket valid two consecutive days. Pair with Clark Art Institute and Williams College Museum of Art. Plan 4–5 hours.