Arts & Culture
Arts, crafts, plays, theater and music organizations and locations.
The Heritage State Park is located in a restored 19th century fire station. It offers self-guided exhibits that trace the sliversmith and furniture making industry in Gardner, also know as "Chair City"
Park directions from Route 2 east or west: take exit 22, then Rte 68, North to downtown Gardner. At the junction with Rte. 101, bear right onto Central Steet and the park is immediately on your left
Step into Early New England! Explore 11 museum houses with trained guides, world-class antiques, special exhibitions, all in the heart of a 330-year old village. Enjoy family programs, special events, distinctive shopping, and café dining.
Housed on a restored 19th century factory campus, MASS MoCA exhibits some of the liveliest, most evocative - and provocative - art of our time. Open all year with a full schedule of performing arts events and film in addition to 120,000 square feet of gallery space.
Built in 1798 as the original Deerfield Academy building, it opened in 1880 as a museum to preserve and display collections as a "direct memorial of the inhabitants of this valley, both Indian and Puritan." 19 exhibition rooms. Open May 1-Oct. 31 Daily 11am-5 pm. Rts. 5 & 10.
40th Summer Festival of famed artists performing uniqely dsigned Chamber music programs. June 26th - July 25th. Evenings Friday at 7:30pm and Saturday at 8:0 pm - in the air conditioned Federated Church, Charlemont, Rte. 2. Concert and ticket information toll free 888-MTC-MUSE or by email at info@mohawktrailconcerts.org or visit online at www.mohawktrailconcerts.org
The Quaker Meting House is the most important historical landmark in Adams. It is a memorial to the pioneer people who first settled the tract of land that became Adams. The Quakers, or Friends as they called themselves, were a religious denomination who came from the Smithfield, Rhode Island area. They were the first group of settlers to from a community in East Hoosuck, the original name of the Adams township.
They most likely moved to the Hoosac Valley in the 1760s because the area was recently opened for development. The Quakers must have felt the spirit of adventure that compelled so many Americans to leave thecomforts of their homes to pioneer the wilderness to the west.
They lived in Adams for 15 yeras before starting to build the meeting house in 1782. They finished it four years later. It ook so long to complete because the Friendswere less interested in a monumental place of worship tham living their lives according to their religious precepts.
The meeting house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Open for tours Sundays in July through Columbus Day from 1-4pm
On the last Sunday in ugust the Society of Friends Descendants hold an Annual Meeting which includes a half hour of silence and a speaker.
A fine art museum with outstanding collections of French Impressionists, Old Master, and American paintings set amid park-like grounds dotted with walking trails and picnic tables. Enjoy year-round special exhibitions and public programs for all ages and interests. Open daily July-August; rest of year Tues-Sun and some Monday holidays.
Susan B. Anthony Adams' Famous Daughter
Although Susan B. Anthony only lived in Adams for the first six years of her life she was still influenced by the beliefs and aspirations of the Quaker community in her home town. Her great-grandfather wasa pioneer settler here and one of the founding members of the East Hoosac Meeting. She devoted the greater part of her life to seeking justice as an abolitionist against alavery and as a suffragette for the rights of woman to vote. Here inner light must have guided her through the darkness of this world.
Open to the public summer of 2009
The Heart of the park is the Visitors Center Museum. Several beautifully retore buidings that were once used to store freight and commodities surround a cobblestone courtyard at this former railroad yard. The buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This ubran park uses historical artifacts and exhibits to bring to life the controversial and danger-filled construction of the Hoosac Tunnel, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. The tunnel was dug 4.75 miles through Hoosac Mountan, linking Massachusetts to Albany, NY. 200 men lost their lives building the tunnel, which is still being used today. An audio-visual presentation takes visitors back in time, where the sounds of dripping water, pickaxes against stone, explosion, and debates re-create the hradship and heroism of the tunnel's constuction. Programs and exhibits on history, science, culture and environmental are offered regularly to the public. Visitors Center hours: Open 10am-5pm day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days. Admission and parking is free.
One of the finest college art museums in the county, featuring a broad range of exhibitions, many drawn from its collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, video art, and works on paper. The museum's collection of more than 400 works by the artist-brothers Maurice and Charles Prendergast is the largest in any museum. Admission to the museum is always FREE as are a host of educational programs that are available to the public.
