Trainer: I think the risks were calculated - it was a preposterous idea, but it wasn't downright foolhardy (at least not most of the time). MASS MoCA wouldn't have worked if Williams College wasn't nearby (Adam's rib, so to speak), nor would it probably work if it was closer to an urban area. It wouldn't have worked if the mill weren't located in a place like the Berkshires, where hundreds of thousands of tourists visited cultural sites nearby but avoided North Adams. Sarachan: Why do you think the major risks taken to create MASS MoCa worked so well? That hasn't changed at all, with the exception of the fact that, when I dreamed up the film, and worked on it, I just wanted to share the fabric and essence of MASS MoCA and its evolution in general - to anyone who would listen! Now that I'm no longer at the museum, a key motivation was to share that experience with my kids. Trainer: Both Rachel Chanoff (my executive producer) and I knew we'd witnessed something rare, and wanted to share it. Over the years, I'd think occasionally of institutions that seem to always have been there - the Met, Lincoln Center, even the Sistine Chapel.they were probably all putts to the moon to realize. Even at the time, it felt as though being part of a small group undertaking an uphill herculean task was unique. We lost our energy at times, we found our adrenaline at others. Thankfully MASS MoCA succeeded in being built, but it could have easily gone the other way. The film is about risk - creative, artistic, financial, emotional, and physical. I like to think that even if MASS MoCA had failed, I'd feel the same way about the journey. Only when you're out on the limb do you get the bird's eye view. Sarachan: What was your initial hope in creating this film, and has that changed at all now? Jennifer Trainer: The arts are more important than ever. Lean in and embrace it. I'm now director of Hancock Shaker Village. The Shakers said "there's as much reverence in pulling an onion as there is in singing hallelujah" - it takes me five times longer to do anything these days, it seems, but there is reverence in the process of creating, no matter at what level. As one of the original builders of MASS MoCA and as a writer, what's your advice to creators right now ? Risa Sarachan: During the pandemic, the arts and artists have struggled greatly.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |