B y E l i s e L i n s c o t t G l a d s t o n e
A Groundbreaking Arts Center
CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CAMPAGNA KLEEFELD CENTER FOR CREATIVITY IN THE ARTS AT MCLA IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER
Soon, MCLA will have a new state-of-theart building welcoming visitors to its campus, deepening its connection to the surrounding arts institutions and strengthening its presentation of art in North Adams. The new Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts, with construction to begin this fall and an anticipated opening in 2027, will be the first building of its kind for MCLA, making it a natural fit and an expansion for a liberal arts college surrounded by the culturally rich, arts-focused Berkshires community, says MCLA President James Birge. It also will allow the college to deepen partnerships with places like MASS MoCA, the Clark Art Institute, and the Williams College Museum of Art( with a new building projected to reopen in 2027), in terms of job placements and reciprocal programming.“ Having this facility allows us to think anew about what those partnerships are like,” says Birge.
There will be new opportunities for partnership and shared programming, he says. For instance, students will gain hands-on experience in museum and gallery operations, community education, and artist collaboration.“ This positions us to be the institution in New England for arts management,” Birge says.“ These partnerships will help grow enrollment and create more opportunities for better teaching and learning, while also allowing us to think about new majors that could emerge from these collaborations.” He did not specify what those majors could be, but says that“ the interdisciplinary nature of the center means we ' re exploring how it can enhance programs across multiple disciplines, as well as in the graduate and continuing education space.” There are limitations of MCLA Gallery 51’ s current location on Main Street in North Adams, including the space available. The new facility, he explained, will allow for more ambitious programming, including public exhibitions of visiting artists and interactive sessions where audiences can engage with the creative process— from the formation of ideas to curation to installation.
Located at the corner of Porter and Church streets, the Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts will be the first building that visitors and students see as they enter the campus from North Adams. The new center was made possible
Above, artist Carolyn Kleefeld says her work is inspired by an“ inner wildness,” with styles ranging from abstract, figurative and expressionist.( Courtesy of the artist) Opposite, the planned Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts, rendering by Jones Whitsett Architects, Inc.( Courtesy of MCLA)
58 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Fall 2025