If you visited MASS MoCA in the past week, you may have noticed something new on the shelves of our museum store: Sol LeWitt: 100 Views, the official catalogue for the wall drawing retrospective which opened in Building 7 in November.

“100 views” refers to the number of contributors to the catalogue as well as the approximate number of wall drawings in the retrospective (there are actually 105). The concept of the catalogue, edited by MASS MoCA’s curators Susan Cross and Denise Markonish, was to offer a personal tribute to LeWitt. From the foreword:

There is already an impressive collection of essays, writings, and catalogues that address the art of Sol LeWitt. Adding to this will be the forthcoming catalogue raisonné to be published by the Yale University Art Gallery in association with the Estate of Sol LeWitt and Pace Wildenstein. What more could possibly supplement this array of information and analysis? Talk to anyone who knew LeWitt or listen to artists who were influenced by his work or helped by his generosity, and it soon becomes clear what has been missing: a book about how LeWitt’s ideas, friendship, and generosity of spirit coursed the art world.

One hundred peer artists, curators, writers, architects, musicians, former and current assistants, museum directors, and more, were asked to submit short pieces to the catalogue. Some, like curators Nicholas Baume (ICA) and Gary Garrels (SFMoMA), submitted short essays on the art historical import of LeWitt. Artists Louise Lawler and Jonathan Monk chosen to pay tribute to LeWitt with a piece of artwork. Composer (and Bang on a Can co-founder) David Lang wrote a short musical composition while composer Steve Reich submitted a point/counterpoint comparing his thoughts on Conceptualism with LeWitt’s (with a short musical coda to boot). And that’s just a start of the personal anecdotes, touching elegies, witty wordplay, and critical assessment of the contributions. (A full list of the contributors is after the jump.)

Also featured in the catalogue are almost all of the wall drawings featured here at MASS MoCA. Photographed by Kevin Kennefick, the plate section captures the simultaneous grandeur and subtle detail of the drawings while hinting at their unique architectural setting.

The catalogue, distributed by Yale Press, is only available for pre-order on Amazon now, but you can get your fix right away by stopping by Hardware: The MASS MoCA Store or the new MASS MoCA by Design store in Williamstown today. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you loved visiting MASS MoCA?

Reviewing us on sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp raises our profile and encourages others to visit.  And more visitors means more resources for us to use to give you more great exhibitions and events.

It only takes a minute to rate us and write a sentence or two about your experience. Click on the links above to tell the world what you think about MASS MoCA on those sites, but we’d welcome reviews on any sites  you use to provide information about where to go and what to do.

Thanks for your help!

Recipients of the Clocktower Society awards are chosen for their contribution to the nation’s cultural life through their extraordinary comitment to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.  At MASS MoCA’s 10th Anniversary Ball on May 23, 2009, MASS MoCA inducted three new members into its Clocktower Society:  Michael Dukakis (former governor of Massachusetts), Allan Fulkerson (former Chairman of the Board, MASS MoCA), and Susy Wadsworth (MASS MoCA trustee).  Read the rest of this entry »

For the last two weeks MASS MoCA has hosted Brad Wells’ Roomful of Teeth; a choral ensemble working to combine non-western song styles in a choral concert setting. Working with contemporary composers Rinde Eckhart and Judd Greenstien, the group of musicians is learning new vocal techniques (such as Tuvan throat singing and yodeling) as they also learn newly composed music. The group will take the stage tonight, June 26, at 8 PM to show off what they have been working on.

Watch an interview with Judd Greenstien on our YouTube page to hear what he has to say about the project and his time here at MASS MoCA.

I sat in on dress rehearsal last night and can guarntee that you won’t be dissapointed by what Roomful of Teeth has put together. There are still a few tickets avalible for the performance, order yours here.

Cheers,

Brittany

Our dear friends Tom and Cathy Ralys who run Lickety Split in the MASS MoCA lobby now have a website!  You can check their cafe and catering menus (they offer excellent, very affordable catering options) and learn more about them and about Herrell’s ice cream.  Check it out.

We’ve extended the deadline to the end of the day on Thursday, June 25. Upload your photos NOW!

Help us get the word out about the Blonde Redhead concert on Saturday, June 27, and we’ll enter you into a drawing to win Blonde Redhead and MASS MoCA swag, including tickets to the performance!

1. Download PDF poster and print copies in either C or B/W.

2. Hang posters in your community, your school, etc. (Anywhere other people are going to see the posters.) We aren’t responsible if you get in trouble for postering where you shouldn’t, so ask permission before posting on anyone’s private property.

3. Take a photo of every poster that you hang. (Cell phone photos are fine)

4. Add photos to our Blonde Redhead Poster Contest Flickr Group. (Not a member of Flickr? Click for more information and to sign up for an account)

5. Every 10 photos of different poster locations added to the Flickr group enters you into the drawing.

6. All entries must be added to the Flickr group by midnight of 6/25/09.

7. Winners will be drawn and contacted on 6/26/09.

Questions? E-mail me at bbishop@massmoca.org.

Happy postering!

Cheers,

Brittany