Our day started with a drive to Bunny Williams‘s home in Falls Village, Connecticut.

I’d never heard of Bunny Williams before this trip, but several of the people were almost in awe of her reputation as a designer and really valued the chance to visit her estate. Ms. Williams wasn’t available, but her head gardener, Robert, gave us a tour of the guest barn, the gardens, and the studio. Flowers were everywhere!

We also wandered through the meadow, complete with eccentric bird houses (Robert said that very few birds actually used them).

The pool house was very interesting.

We had lunch at the White Hart, an old farmhouse which has been converted into a restaurant and inn. It was one of the best meals I’d had on this trip.

After lunch, we returned to Massachusetts to visit Daniel Chester French‘s home and studio at Chesterwood.

We saw many of his sculptures (or at least models and moquettes).

We had our farewell dinner at Alta Restaurant and Wine Bar in Lenox and returned to the hotel.

We visited two museums today, Mass MOCA and the Clark, both in Williamstown, about an hour from our hotel.

Mass MOCA is in an old factory complex (originally Arnold Printing, then Sprague Electric) which they’ve converted into a museum; the Clark is in a building specifically built for them in 1955 and then expanded in the 21st Century. Our Study Leader described it as “contemporary art in an old building vs. classical art in a new building”, and that seemed pretty accurate.

At Mass MOCA, we took a whirlwind guided tour through several of their buildings. Here are a few photos.

I could have spent much longer at Mass MOCA, but we had a luncheon and tour appointment at the Clark. Again, I only have a few photos to share – both of these are from their American gallery.

Both museums were worth visiting, but I have to say that Mass MOCA seemed more alive than the Clark.