NORTH ADAMS â The definition of kinship is most often defined in the dictionary as a "blood relationship." Sociologists use the term to define social hierarchies within family groups, culturally and geographically. Still, it can be defined as meaning "a sharing of characteristics or origins," describing groups of people who, while not blood relations, share enough to form communities and families that foster the same social hierarchies as those of people connected by biology and birth. This more fluid definition of kinship â as an interconnectedness and familial bond between unrelated individuals; as a practice of care and as a nurturing and restorative force, as a feeling of intimacy â is the driving force connecting the six artists brought together in "Close to You," on view in the Michael & Agnese Meehan Gallery at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art through January 2022.