The Hatchlings are coming!
April 16, 2025 - North Adams, MA Studio HHH and The North Adams Partnership are excited to announce that Hatchlings, a series of experiential public art installations, will be returning from their recent location in Boston to North Adams where they were designed and fabricated. Created by artist and interdisciplinary designer Vanessa Till Hooper, these illuminated pavilions will be on view and open to the public from May 2 through October 3, 2025.
This public art installation will activate multiple locations within a walkable zone of Downtown North Adams, featuring three Hatchlings pavilions to be located at the parklet on Eagle Street, with additional Hatchlings located at The First Congregational Church, along Main Street adjacent to the bus stop, on the lawn at Hotel Downstreet, and on MCLA’s campus.
The Hatchlings project marked the first cross-park collaboration between The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and the Esplanade Association in Boston, MA. Selected as the winning design via the Greenway’s open call process in Spring 2023, the work was designed and built in North Adams and on public view in Boston throughout the winter months for the past two years, was de-installed at the end of February 2025 and relocated directly to North Adams.
“In the process of developing the concept proposal for the Greenway’s open call, I began thinking about arched pavilions like the Hollywood Bowl where I grew up, and the beautiful public amphitheater on the Esplanade park along the Charles River called the Hatch Shell,” said Hooper, “and an idea popped into my head: What if the Hatch Shell hatched shells, and they wandered off down the parkways of Boston? I suddenly envisioned illuminated amphitheaters at different scales, some big enough to accommodate a whole group of performers, and some so small only one tiny child could tuck inside. That's how the Hatchlings got their whimsical name; they are abstracted versions of the iconic Boston landmark.”
Each pavilion features a unique weaving pattern of vibrantly colorful animated lights, some are programmable and some are set in specific rainbow patterns. “The concentric arches are achieved through a textile weaving technique and nod to the structural form of a bandshell,” says Aria Gannon, consulting curator on the project. “These illuminated pavilions evoke feelings of enchantment and delight; they are conduits for community interaction.” This project is also about envisioning a brighter and more environmentally sustainable future for our cities. These Hatchlings will be powered either entirely through solar power or through a combination of grid and solar power. “Including solar energy was a design challenge we were excited to meet, something that our team felt was critical to advancing the conversation about sustainability in public art,” said Teresita Cochran, solar specialist on this project.
Throughout the duration of the installation, these pavilions will serve as a venue for both scheduled and spontaneous performances, and will also be a site for ongoing creative activities and informal gatherings. The North Adams Partnership has invited additional partners to contribute to ongoing programming including Assets for Artists, MCLA, and the Downtown Cultural District.
“I’m thrilled that we could bring these beautiful gems back home to North Adams, where they were created,” said North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey. “When Vanessa and her team first presented the idea, it felt like the perfect way to celebrate what makes this city unique and wonderful—the way people work together to make good things happen. Hatchlings North Adams is one of many examples of the collaborative spirit that thrives here in North Adams.”
Each location of Hatchlings North Adams will be open to the public both day and night, with an opening event to be held at the Eagle Street Parklet from 6:00–7:30pm on May 2, 2025 in partnership with Assets for Artists.
Hatchlings North Adams is made possible through generous support by North Adams Partnership, in collaboration with the City of North Adams and the North Adams Cultural District Committee, as well as the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and the Esplanade Association.
More information is available on the project page here.
Follow Studio HHH on social media @hhh_designstudio and find community posts with hashtag #HatchlingsNorthAdams.
About the artist
Vanessa Till Hooper’s body of work explores the intersection of art, experiential design, engineering and environments. She uses emerging technologies to enhance the visitors experience, creating works that are interactive, animated and often immersive. Her focused interest is in the many ways in which public art can actively empower individuals and communities with agency, voice, and choice.
In early 2018, she founded her own art and design atelier, Studio HHH, and together with her artist team, creates light-based artworks that are integrated within the built environment. Three years ago she moved her atelier to North Adams, Massachusetts, and has become an active member of the North Adams creative community, all while continuing to design activations across the globe with projects currently in development in Los Angeles, Boston, and Mae Sot, Thailand.
North Adams Partnership
The North Adams Partnership’s mission is to enhance the economy of the city of North Adams and establish and maintain the city's position as a small city center of commerce, culture, education, and innovation. Founded in 2010 and re-launched under new leadership in 2024, The North Adams Partnership works with city, state, and federal agencies, community groups, business owners, and residents to fund and implement creative placemaking, economic development, and housing initiatives.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jenny Wright
jenny@northadamspartnership.org
413-770-8476
