January 21, 2025
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is pleased to announce plans for a state-of-the-art creativity and teaching center. The Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts is made possible through the generosity of artist and author Carolyn Mary Kleefeld. This transformational gift will support the construction of the Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts on the corner of Porter and Church Streets. Carolyn’s support will enhance all students’ experiences on campus — linking the arts with academic disciplines, from humanities and social sciences to business and computer science — and will serve as an essential part of the MCLA learning experience.
As the new primary gallery and arts programming space on campus, The Campagna Kleefeld
Center for Creativity in the Arts will support MCLA programs by providing opportunities
for students to engage with artists, their work, and the community. It will serve
as a dynamic and flexible space for faculty engagement and curricular innovation,
fostering meaningful interactions with a rotating array of exhibits and programs.
This new venue will also support MCLA’s Benedetti Teaching Artists-in-Residence and
student artists-in-residence.
A cornerstone of The Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts will be its
integration of Carolyn Kleefeld’s art and poetry, offering ongoing opportunities for
students to curate and engage with her work as a model for exploring the creative
process. This engagement will extend to other artists, with students actively participating
in selecting, situating, and appreciating works in the gallery. The Campagna Kleefeld
Center for Creativity in the Arts will also provide spaces for student artists to
showcase in-progress and completed work, supported by peer and faculty critiques.
Additionally, Arts Management students will gain hands-on experience in museum and gallery operations, community education, and artist collaboration. The Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts will enhance all students’ experiences on campus — linking the arts with academic disciplines, from humanities and social sciences to business and computer science — and serve as an essential part of the MCLA learning experience. Accommodating a range of artistic work across genres and forms, The Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts will support MCLA’s commitment to equity, access, inclusion, and belonging, and to providing a comprehensive liberal arts education.
“Carolyn Kleefeld’s extraordinary generosity will allow MCLA to build and steward a cutting-edge facility that will exponentially enhance the quality of our teaching, expose all our students to new and exciting forms of art, and serve the broader community in immeasurable ways,” said MCLA President James F. Birge, Ph.D. “Carolyn’s forward-thinking gift is a game-changer, not only for our students and faculty but also Berkshire County and its surrounding communities, and will continue to be for generations to come.”
The Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts will be a vital hub of creativity
that will also provide a compelling teaching and learning environment,” said Carolyn
Kleefeld. “This will allow others to explore and engage with the artistic practices
that have meant so much to me throughout my life.”
About Carolyn Kleefeld
Carolyn Mary Kleefeld is an English-American author, poet, and visual artist. Working
since 1981, she has written 25 books, published many tri-lingual and bi-lingual translations,
and created an extensive and diverse body of drawings and paintings, ranging in style
from romantic figurative to abstract. Her art is featured internationally in galleries,
museums, private collections, and multimedia presentations. She studied art and psychology
at UCLA and resides in Big Sur, California.
Learn more at carolynmarykleefeld.com
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed
to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully empowered
to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 130-year commitment to
public education, we have fortified our dedication to equitable academic excellence.
MCLA has appeared on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Top Ten Public Colleges for
10 consecutive years, earning the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts
Schools in the nation for 2025, after earning the No. 7 spot the prior three years.
The College’s focus on affordable education and economic prosperity is reflected in
additional 2025 U.S. News rankings: No. 5 for Top Performer on Social Mobility for
liberal arts colleges in the state and No. 2 for Top Performer on Social Mobility
for public liberal arts colleges in the country. These rankings measure how well schools
graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants. Learn more at www.mcla.edu.
