Mass MoCA to Remove 'Training Ground' materials

By Tammy DanielsPrint Story | Email Story
A house from Houghton Street was cut up to fit into Building 5 for 'Training Ground.' (Mass MoCA)
NORTH ADAMS - The detritus that was to be Swiss artist Christoph Buchel's first major American installation is being hauled out of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Describing the unfinished "Training Ground For Democracy" as "abandoned materials," museum officials said the massive Building 5 gallery will be cleared for a new exhibition in November. “With several hundred tons of materials and thousands of objects and partial constructions sitting abandoned in our galleries, we carefully considered what we could do,” Joseph C. Thompson, Mass MoCA’s director, said in a statement late Tuesday."We obviously cared a great deal for the work and had expended extraordinary effort and energies to try to bring it into existence; we did not want to act precipitously in either dismantling or displaying it. With no other options, and wanting to move forward as the situation continued to draw resources away from other artists and public programming, we sought a declaration of our respective rights by an impartial party – a federal judge.” The museum spent more than $300,000 - double the estimated budget - on the installation, which was to include a wrecked North Adams Police cruiser, a house moved from Hougton Street, one of the theaters from the old North Adams Cinema and numerous items donated by local residents. But the museum balked at trying to get the fuselage of a jetliner and Buchel walked off in late 2006 and never returned. The exhibit, which was to open last December, was covered with yellow tarps as the two sides tried to settle the dispute, only to land in court. Judge Michael A. Ponsor of U.S. District Court in Springfield on Friday rejected Buchel's claims that the museum had violated his rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 by allowing the public to see parts of the exhibit. Buchel cited a tour of the exhibit by Gov. Deval Patrick as evidence. The judge, however, ruled the act didn't apply to unfinished work. In his summary judgement, Ponsor said the museum had the right to display the work or not since it had supplied funding and labor. If the installation was put on display, Buchel had the right to request a disclaimer. According to The Boston Globe, Buchel has decided to appeal the decision. Museum officials said they had "explored every possible avenue in an effort to re-engage the artist, and when those efforts proved futile, the museum offered him the opportunity to retrieve the materials from the museum galleries (reimbursing the museum for its costs), which he declined to do." The exhibit was canceled in May and the museum requested a declaratory judgment from the court on its and the artist's rights over the unfinished work. "We are deeply appreciative of the court’s thoughtful scrutiny of this matter," said Thompson in the statement. "After giving careful deliberation to the interests of many constituents, including the artist’s own views, and factoring in the limited time window available given our normal exhibition cycle - together with other considerations both logistical and philosophical - we have decided to begin removing the materials immediately without placing them on public display." A new exhibition, Jenny Holzer’s "Projections," will open in the space Nov. 17. The museum also said it would co-host a symposium with the Clark Art Institute devoted to the issues raised by this case. The symposium will be held later this fall. Meanwhile, Buchel will open a new installation later this month at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions that is described as "a commentary on past and present military agendas." It will include replicas of missiles, bombs, and other military equipment stashed away as if hidden and forgotten in a small waiting room, discovered only after walking through a series of adjacent rooms and doors.
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

North Adams Man Found Guilty of Rape, Sentenced to State Prison

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Monday, Nov. 9, Joseph Pini, 49 years old, formerly of North Adams, was sentenced to 9 to 12 years in State Prison after being found guilty of 2 counts of Rape and one count of Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor. 

On Friday, Nov. 6, a jury found Pini guilty of all three charges after deliberating for four hours. 

Honorable Judge Callan sentenced Pini to 9 to 12 years in State Prison for the two counts of Rape and 6 months in the House of Corrections for Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor, to be served concurrently. The Commonwealth requested a sentence of 12 to 15 years in prison for the combined rape charges with 1 year in the House of Corrections, a maximum sentence, for furnishing alcohol to a minor to be served concurrently. Defense requested a 'very lengthy' probationary period.  

According to a report, in November 2022, Joseph Pini brought a then-16-year-old to his home on Fairgrounds Avenue, North Adams. He proceeded to provide the teen with alcohol and then raped her twice. 

District Attorney Shugrue thanked the jury for their services.

"I commend the North Adams Police Department and the Child Abuse Unit in my office for their thorough and dedicated work in bringing this case to a successful conclusion," he said. "My thoughts remain with the survivor, whose life has been forever impacted by this horrific assault. While no verdict can undo the harm she endured, I hope that the guilty verdict and sentencing bring a measure of closure and allow her the opportunity to move forward.”

Chief of the Child Abuse Unit Andrew Giorilo represented the Commonwealth. Ian Benoit and Shairai Richards served as victim witness advocates on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. The North Adams Police Department served as the lead law enforcement agency on the case. 

View Full Story

More North Adams Stories

Community News
image description

New North Adams Council Accepts Controversial Policing Grant

Community News
Community News
image description

North Adams Council Seats New Councilor Riehl

Community News
Business
image description

North Adams Planners OK New Event Space for Tourists Resort

Business
Schools
image description

Drury High Students Get a Taste of Local Beef

Schools
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Boys Win Western Mass Title

Sports
A & E
image description

Weekend Outlook: Welcome to November

A & E
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?