Mass MoCA Announces Memorial Day Weekend and Summer 2025 Programming

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art  has announced its programming for Memorial Day Weekend and summer 2025.

The events accompany the opening of the exhibition "Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream..." 

Memorial Day Weekend Events:

• Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream... The exhibition, the first museum survey of Vincent Valdez's work, will open on Saturday, May 24. It will feature drawings and monumental portraits from the past two decades. The exhibition is co-organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) and MASS MoCA and co-curated by Denise Markonish, Chief Curator at MASS MoCA, and Patricia Restrepo, Curator at CAMH. The exhibition expands upon the current presentation at CAMH with the addition of several works. 
• Members Opening Preview Celebration: Saturday, May 24, 5:30 p.m. An event to preview the opening of "Just A Dream..." and exhibitions "Ohan Breiding: Belly of a Glacier" and "Dirty & Disorderly: Contemporary Artists on Disgust". Tickets are $20, free for members.
• MASS MoCA Benefit Dinner: Friday, May 23, 5 p.m. A fundraising event to mark the close of MASS MoCA's 25th Anniversary Season and the opening of the summer season. The event will include dinner, a preview of "Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream...", and an opportunity to view "Trisha Brown Dance Company: Roof Piece". 
• Trisha Brown Dance Company: Roof Piece: Saturday, May 24, 2 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. A performance of "Roof Piece" (1971) by choreographer Trisha Brown. The site-specific work will take place across the roofs of the museum's campus. Tickets are $49 in advance, $59 week-of (10 percent discount for members). 
• In Conversation: Kristy Edmunds & Susan Rosenberg: Saturday, May 24, 3 p.m. MASS MoCA Director Kristy Edmunds will converse with Susan Rosenberg, author of Trisha Brown: Choreography as Visual Art. Tickets are $5, free for members. 
• Saul Williams: Saturday, May 24, 8:30 p.m. A performance by poet and electro rap artist Saul Williams. Tickets are $29 in advance, $39 week-of, $59 preferred (10 percent discount for members). 
• In Conversation: Vincent Valdez & Hanif Abdurraqib: Sunday, May 25, 11 a.m. Artist Vincent Valdez will discuss his work with poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. A book signing will follow the talk. Tickets are $10, free for members. 
   

Summer 2025 Programming:

• Activations of Jeffrey Gibson's POWER FULL BECAUSE WE'RE DIFFERENT: Performances by Indigenous artists Martha Redbone on Saturday, June 21, at 8 p.m. and MX Oops on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 8 p.m., engaging with Gibson's installation. Tickets for Martha Redbone are $29 in advance, $39 week-of, $59 preferred (10 percent discount for members). Tickets for MX Oops are $20 (10 percent discount for members).
• Camp MASS MoCA 2025: Weekly sessions from August 4–22 for students entering grades 2–9. Registration is $400 per week (10 percent discount for members, processing fee waived). Weekly themes include Creative Lab in Multimedia and Performance, WHOOP DEE DOO Presents: The Most Beautiful Mess in the World, Pulse and Flow: a site-based art journey, and The Alchemy of Connection. 
   

   

  Member pre-sale for events began Feb. 12, 2025, at noon. General tickets went on sale Friday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. Additional summer programming will be announced at a later date.

North Adams Council Recognizes Special Olympian, OKs Account Transfers

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
11:20AM / Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Jenna Thomas has participated in the Special Olympics for more than 20 years, earning numerous medals. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Special Olympian Jenna Thomas was recognized at City Council on Monday for her medal-winning performance at the 2026 games last month in Minnesota.

 

"I think it's so appropriate as I'm about to proclaim Disabilities Pride Month that we recognize and honor Jenna," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, who had Thomas join her at the podium."

 

Thomas was one of nearly 3,000 athletes who participated in the 2026 Special Olympics, which brought nearly 3,000 athletes from across the country to celebrate the talents, determinations, and achievements of individuals with intellectual disabilities. She won bronze as a member of the Berkshire County Arc Titans bowling team, a fourth in doubles with teammate Katherine Meunier and placed in the top 10 for singles nationally.

 

She's been participating in Special Olympics since her teenage years, competing in cross country skiing, track and field since 2009. Thomas switched to bowling in 2019 and has won gold; she was recognized by the mayor in 2023 for her athletic accomplishments representing Massachusetts and North Adams. 

 

"Look at how beautiful that is — a bronze medal in bowling and placed fourth in the doubles competition, demonstrating her dedication, perseverance, and sportsmanship on the national stage," said the mayor. "She also got to meet the governor's partner, Joanna [Lydgate], who we went out with for ice cream. ...

 

"In returning home, she credited her participation to the friendships she's made and the joy of competing ... her accomplishments are a source of pride for the city of North Adams and should serve as an inspiration for the entire community."

 

The mayor also presented $730,741.06 in end-of-year transfers. These transfers are made from accounts with excess funds to accounts that have gone over. Every line with the exception of snow and ice must be balanced for the end of the year.