Go outside and play! We’ ve all heard it as children and now, from our museums. The Clark, Norman Rockwell Museum, Hancock Shaker Village, The Mount, even Shakespeare & Company invite visitors to discover the healing power of nature as well as the arts as they walk, hike, snowshoe, even cross-country ski and sled on grounds that have been thoughtfully tailored to a wide range of outdoor activity.
School’ s out, and creativity is in! Kidspace at MASS MoCA in North Adams: Dec 29 – Jan 2 and again Feb. 16 – 20, 11 a. m. and 1 p. m. School break workshops focus on a different art medium each day and include use of the Art Bar— a hands-on studio space for kids. Led by museum educators, workshops are for all ages and free. Details can be found at massmoca. org.
Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge presents Family Fun in the Season of Light, Dec. 22 – 23 and Dec. 26 – 29, 10 a. m. to 3 Family-friendly activities include a guided tour with family educators that explores the Illustrators of Light exhibit, featuring paintings by Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, & N. C. Wyeth. After the tour, children are guided through creating their own colorful lanterns to take home. Create Like Rockwell is offered Feb. 16 – 21( except Feb. 18) 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. Includes a guided family tour( 10:15 a. m., 11:30 a. m., and 1 p. m.) and drop-in artmaking( 10 a. m. to 3 p. m.) for ages 5 – 12. Free with admission and for members, kids, and teens.
Monsters are in the house at the Clark in Williamstown Feb. 17 – 20, 10 a. m. to 12 p. m., when children are invited to sculpt their own gargoyle or otherworldly creature out of mixed media, inspired by fantasy and ghostly realities in the exhibit Shadow Visionaries: French Artists Against the Current. Also that week, Tuesday – Friday at 1 p. m., Clark educators lead an all-ages interactive tour of Shadow Visionaries that includes playful writing and storytelling activities. Monster mashup activity cards help visitors explore the ghouls, skeletons, and creepy creatures in the exhibition, and draw their own fantastic inspirations. On Friday, an all-day marathon of Rod Sterling’ s Twilight Zone immerses visitors further in the otherworldly. Activities are free. Tour tickets are first come first served at the Clark Center admissions desk. n
Holiday 2025 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 17