Mass MoCA Sets Free 'Hometown' Days for North Adams Residents

Mass MoCA is offering free days for North Adams residents during the next four months.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is opening its doors to the North Adams community for free on the "18ths" of the next four months.

The museum for years has hosted a community free day (held last Saturday) and provides free access through passes available at the public library. It also has a strong partnership with North Adams Public Schools and the North Berkshire School Union that brings local children to its KidSpace gallery, which is also free to visitors.

But local officials were hoping for something more.

"It was some city councilers that approached Joe [Thompson] and said there are a lot of people who can't take advantage of that one free day," said Jodi Joseph, director of communications, on Thursday. "Someone asked, that was all we needed. ...

"We wanted to be a good neighbor."

She said the new "hometown residents only" program will open the museum's doors on rotating days of the week to help address accessibility. The free days are Wednesday, Feb. 18; Wednesday, March 18; Saturday, April 18, and Monday, May 18.

The free Community Day will continue on its yearly basis for the wider community. More than 2,000 people visited the museum this past Community Day.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.