'Tree Logic,' which has lined the entrance to Mass MoCA for 25 years, will be coming down for good next week. Prior trees from the installation have been transplanted in Williamstown and North Adams. The last trees will be planted at the museum.
Scientists weren't sure the trees could survive being inverted; once they outgrew their tubs, they were planted earthside and thrived.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The trees will no longer grow upside-down in the Steeple City.
Natalie Jeremijenko's meditation on resiliency, "Tree Logic," will be retired after 25 years of turning heads at the entrance to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
The museum announced on its Facebook page this week that the trees will be removed. They will be on view until Monday.
The trees themselves haven't been there that long. Every so often, a new group of saplings is installed and their elders retired to grow naturally on Stone Hill at the Clark Art Institute, which funded the installation, and Colegrove Park, where museum visitors have been known to check on their condition. This last set will remain on the campus, at the end of the Speedway.
"This work, like Mass MoCA itself, defies logic and gravity while signaling that creativity comes in all forms. Jeremijenko conceived of Tree Logic as a work about change and persistence, as trees themselves are dynamic natural systems constantly in flux. In this work, the trees grow while upside down, yet they still instinctively reach for the sunlight," the museum wrote. "MASS MoCA is a non-collecting museum. The artworks on view range from new commissions organized with artists to loans from artists, galleries, estates, and collectors. So at some point, like the trees themselves, things must change."
Although a popular image here, the trees did evince a range of emotions, with some viewers disturbed at the distortion of nature.
Jeremijenko, also an engineer, had spoken with botanists when designing the installation. According to the museum's audio tour, the scientists were divided on how gravity would affect the trees once they were inverted. The trees grew and their branches curved toward the sun; once taken down and put right side up, they gracefully returned to their natural state.
"The branches correct themselves and bear little sign of their early beginnings, speaking to the resiliency of nature, cities and towns, and museums," posted Mass MoCA.
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North Adams Council Sets School Debt Exclusion Vote
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Council President Bryan Sapienza holds up an application to work as a poll worker for the upcoming elections. The form can be found under 'Becoming an election worker' under city clerk on the city website or in the city clerk's office.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council gave final approval on Tuesday for the mayor to borrow $65,362,859 for a new Greylock School to serve Grades prekindergarten through 2.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center. Passage of the debt exclusion vote will allow the city to raise funds beyond its levy limit for the life of the loan.
City Clerk Tina Marie Leonesio said the city has about 1,400 requests for mail-in ballots for all elections and that in-person early voting will start the Saturday before.
The first forum is Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. at Greylock; officials will provide an overview of the project and tours of the school. Zoom participation is available here. Northern Berkshire Community Television will also record the forums for later broadcast.
The second forum is Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. at Brayton Elementary School. The Zoom link is the same and those attending in person can also take a tour of the building.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority will pick up about $41,557,218 of the cost, the city about $20 million and the $3 million balance is expected to come from federal energy grants. The 30-year tiered loan for $20 million is expected to have its highest impact in 2029 when it will add $270 to the average tax bill, or about $22.50 a month.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center.
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This year, the family took on a new challenge, purchasing the historic West End Market building at 437 West Main St. and opening the city's first vegan restaurant, Wish Tree.
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The school received a $64,000 Feigenbaum Foundation grant a couple years ago, but because of supply and shipping delays from the pandemic, the equipment was not delivered until this past winter. click for more
Nearly a dozen residents attended Monday's Conservation Commission meeting to express opposition to a forest management plan that will include logging and the use of herbicides near Notch Reservoir. click for more