June (2014)
6/29/2014
All Good Things
6/23/2014
Penultimate Post
6/15/2014
Envisioning Greatness
6/2/2014
The Proctor Difference
May (2014)
5/1/2014
Ties That Bind
April (2014)
4/11/2014
Cary House Remembered
March (2014)
3/25/2014
George's Gift
3/14/2014
Pick Yourself
February (2014)
2/23/2014
Letter from Mike: On Being Remarkable
2/9/2014
Trustees and Volunteers
December (2013)
12/27/2013
Holiday Card
12/4/2013
Good Causes
12/2/2013
Frozen Assets
November (2013)
11/16/2013
Sally B.
11/10/2013
End Game
11/6/2013
Have Fun, Learn, and Work Hard
11/2/2013
Seasons of Change
October (2013)
10/29/2013
Process of Affirmation
10/6/2013
The Notion of Stewardship
September (2013)
9/21/2013
Self Study
Contemporary Art and Roadside Attractions
3/28/2003

Hey, there's a new front page, and somehow the Add Comments feature has disappeared from the Corner. Please don't get upset about this. It's not a conspiracy to silence anyone. Stay calm, and I'm sure our friends at Whipplehill will solve all our problems and restore open communication soon.

Orozco's art (previous Corner) was crafted to change the world; the stuff in the huge, old factory halls of Mass MoCA is intended to intrigue, puzzle, surprise and frustrate. Here, for example, is the Fat Car:

You walk around and through this work, like these bodies floating in sleeping bags breathing bottled gasses.

Behind my camera is a freezer full of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream. So what you're obviously experiencing is the commercialism of hippie culture (as we were told by our tour guide.) I was glad she was there. Our students prefered the elaborately staged photographs of Gregory Crewdson (READ MORE). . The son of a Brooklyn psychiatrist, this guy contrives outrageously orchestrated scenes--many in prefab suburban landscapes, and draws from "Close Encounter" in this piece:

Route 2 is Massachusetts's answer to Route 66. The first highway designed to capitalize on natural landscapes, this early-30's roadway brought the new owners of motorcars and their families to rushing rivers, picturesque valleys, and breathtaking peaks (in the town of Florida!). With this recreational mission understood, "The Mohawk Trail" (so nicknamed) spawned all of the roadside attractions you could want on a Sunday of motoring in the countryside.

These huge intestines link into one complex loop, leaving the viewer to experience sensations of bloating and nausea. It's painted Pepto Bismol pink.
This bear is not at MassMoCA. It's at one of the many roadside attractions scattered along Route 2.
Mohawks lived in rectangular structures called "long houses" by invading colonists, but motorists want to see tee pees.
The war bonnet worn by this 40-foot character is characteristic of the plains Indians, such as the Ogalala Sioux of the Dakotas. For reasons unknown, this one is in Charlmont, Mass.
Timmy with a fiberglass horse at another roadside attraction. This one featured a petting zoo (seasonal).
By far the lamest roadside art ever seen is this hot dog with mustard and baseball cap in Winchester, New Hampshire.