Community Free Day Set at Mass MoCA
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| DJ Rekha [Mass MoCA] |
In addition to complimentary gallery admission, visitors will be able to take free tours (leaving every 30 minutes from the lobby starting at 11:30), visit Kidspace to view exhibitions and make their own art, listen to local musicians in the cafe from 11 to 2, and sample ice cream from Lickety Split.
In the evening, DJ Rekha will preside over the dance floor in the Hunter Center starting at 8 with a Bollywood Disco dance party. Tickets for the dance party are $14 for adults in advance and $18 on the day of the show. Tickets for children are $10 anytime. Dance instruction will be provided by Jacob's Pillow Dance. The free day and the dance party are sponsored by Berkshire Gas.
"On this special community day, we hope to encourage new visitors to give us a try, to welcome back old friends, and to thank our neighbors for their continued support. We're particularly grateful to Berkshire Gas for its support of this community event," said MoCA Director Joseph C. Thompson. "We've got lots of new work in the galleries - Jenny Holzer's 'Projections' has been termed 'a knock-out one-two punch' in reviews, and Anselm Kiefer's work is deeply moving. The guided tours throughout the day will help you explore Kiefer and Holzer's work, as well as Spencer Finch and 'Eastern Standard: Western Artists in China,' which will have just opened on Feb. 2."
Other activities
Finch will give a presentation about his work at 5 in Club B-10. His exhibition, "What Time Is It on the Sun?" has received rave reviews and was the cover story of Art In America's January issue. "Our artist talks are frequently open to members only, so this presents a wonderful opportunity for anyone to learn more about Spencer's work from the artist himself," said the exhibition's curator Susan Cross. Free tickets are required for Finch's talk and are available from the box office anytime.
Behind-the-scenes tours of Building 7, under construction to house the Sol LeWitt wall drawings exhibition, will be offered at 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30. The tours are free but space is limited. A sign-up will be available at the box office.
Throughout the day, visitors will be able to drop in on choreographer Zvi Gotheiner in Mass MoCA's rehearsal studio. Gotheiner is in residence for a few weeks to begin his new piece Personals, a dance which will explore the ways people present themselves for possible coupling. The work will take a look at the "market of the hearts" and examine the mental and physical arenas where potential mates interact.
Activities for Kids
Kidspace will be open free of charge from noon until 5. The current exhibition is "It's Rude to Stare: Drawings and Sculpture" by Richard Criddle. In a personal "archaeological dig" into his childhood fears and stories, Criddle interprets these memories as larger than life. He presents his autobiography as oversized sculptural figures made from wood, bronze, fabricated steel and found objects such as wooden blinds, furniture components, a furnace shovel and heavy industrial hardware. On Free Day, Kidspace visitors will make their own portraits using found materials provided by the gallery.
MASS MoCA's education coordinator, Alison Basdekis, will offer a pinwheel-making project for kids from 11 to 5 in the galleries and family guides to the exhibitions are available anytime in the lobby.
Club B-10 on the third floor will be open from 11 to 4. A series of short films will be screened continuously.
Lickety Split to Offer Ice Cream Tasting
Lickety Split in the lobby will be making ice cream all day and offering free tastings every half hour from 1:30 - 4:30. "Herrell's Ice Cream right out of the ice cream maker is just tremendous," said Tom Ralys, Lickety Split's owner and ice cream maker. "The consistency is closer to soft serve, but the flavors are really intense. We'll be making ice cream all day so people can see how we do it, and every half hour starting at 1 p.m., we'll be offering tastings of a different flavor."
Tastings are Malted Vanilla at 1, then Cookie Dough Peanut butter Swirl at 1:30; Orange Creamsicle at 2; Cocococonut at 2:30 and the newest Herrell's flavor, Peach, at 3 and 3:30.
Dance Party Closes the Day
DJ Rekha's monthly Basement Bhangra at SOB's in New York City are cult parties called variously "a mecca for the rapidly growing number of Asian hip-hop fanatics" and "New York's most popular South Asian party."
Rekha will offer an evening of hip-shaking traditional Bhangra music of South Asia mixed with modern-day hip-hop beats. Her debut album "DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra" has just been released.
Doors to the dance party will open at 7. Beverage and bar service will be open at that time, and Lickety Split will offer a range of dinner selections. Dance instruction by Jacob's Pillow will begin at 8.
Tickets are available through the box office off Marshall Street from 11 to 5, Wednesday through Monday, at 413-662-2111 during box office hours or at www.massmoca.org/
