Mass MoCA Presents Robin Frohardt: 'Shopping Center of the Universe'

03:53PM / Monday, February 16, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) presents Herb Alpert for a

preview of "Shopping Center of the Universe."

Award-winner Robin Frohardt, whose multimedia experience "The Plastic Bag Store" was at the museum in 2024, returns to the museum for a preview of "Shopping Center of the Universe," a theatrical work of speculative nonfiction.

The preview will be held on Feb. 20, at 7 pm

According to a press release:

This new work in development, grounded in reality yet deeply reflective, offers a poetic meditationon our relationship with the natural world. Blending puppetry, prose, live music, and intricate handmade sets, Frohardt gives shape to the cultural and personal grief she has experienced growing up surrounded by big box stores. Frohardt reframes the parking lot as part of the ecosystem, rather than separate from it: tree roots break through asphalt, condensation from an air conditioner wears a hole in a sidewalk, and a flock of birds crash-lands, mistaking the lights on the pavement for the surface of water. This genre-defying, live-cinema project is Frohardt's innovative attempt to reconcile the predicament of being born a soul in a body raised in Walmart.

Tickets are $34 for students, $44 advance, $54 week-of, $74 preferred; members receive 10 percent off

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Veteran Spotlight: Marine Corp. Tim Woodward

By Wayne SoaresSpecial to iBerkshires
05:17PM / Sunday, February 15, 2026

FALMOUTH, Mass. — Tim Woodward served his country in the Marine Corps as a corporal from 1983 to 1987.

Having grown up with Tim, you knew he was the type of person who would succeed at whatever he attempted. His drive and discipline set him apart from his peers, even at a young age. He would have four college acceptances after graduating from Falmouth High School, but put them on hold to enlist in the Marines, where he did his basic training at Parris Island, S.C.

"It was definitely an eye opener," he said. "I had some pretty good preparation as my father and uncle were Marines. It was a lot of work, more mental than physical, and a lot of people weren't prepared for that.

"I wasn't fearful. It was about earning the title of U.S Marines. I'm proud of the fact that I was selected for just about every leadership position in my platoon, including Honor Man. I had a great time."

Woodward's first assignment would take him to the former Naval Air Station Memphis in Tennessee for aviation electronics training through a rolling admissions program.

"Made it all the way through — I was pretty good at troubleshooting. I always wanted to fly jets but ended up working on them," he said. "After schooling, I was sent to Whidbey Island, north of Tacoma and Seattle, Wash., where I was attached to Navy Squadron VAQ-129, where I learned to test the electronics on the Grumman EA 6B Prowler.

"I also did five months with VAQ-29. I remember when you drove into the base the sign overhead said, 'EXCUSE OUR NOISE, IT'S THE SOUND OF FREEDOM,'" Woodward said. "I had a chance to climb on the jets, wash them like your car, walk on the wings — lots of good memories."

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