The Mattress Factory is a museum of contemporary art that presents art you can get into â€" room-sized environments, created by in-residence artists from around the world. Located in the historic Mexican War Streets of Pittsburgh’s Central Northside since 1977, the Mattress Factory is one of few museums of its kind anywhere and is host to 75,000 visitors per year.
History
In 1975, artist and Mattress Factory founder Barbara Luderowski purchased a former Stearns & Foster mattress warehouse at 500 Sampsonia Way in Pittsburgh’s Central Northside. Originally, she used the warehouse as a space to live, work and build a community of artists and intellectuals. The community grew and in 1977--after two years of hosting art exhibits and a small food co-op--the Mattress Factory was established as a legal non-profit educational and cultural corporation. Its first exhibition of installation art opened five years later on May 8, 1982, and the museum has since grown to be an integral part of the Pittsburgh arts community, known for its artist residency program, educational programming, and unique exhibitions. In 2008 then-Curator of Exhibitions Michael Olijnyk joined Luderowski in leading the museum as Co-Director.
Over the years the Mattress Factory has acquired more properties for various purposes, including:
- 1414 Monterey Street, which became a new gallery space
- Two buildings on North Taylor Street that became artist residences
- 505 Jacksonia Street, which is now used as a parking lot for museum visitors, and the adjacent lot, which now houses Winifred Lutz's Garden Installation, 1993
- 516 Sampsonia Way, which opened as gallery space in Fall 2013
Mission statement
The Mattress Factory is a research and development lab for artists. As a museum of contemporary art, it commissions new site-specific works, presents them to the widest possible audience and maintains selected individual installations in a growing - and distinctive - permanent collection. The Mattress Factory's physical and organizational environments have developed out of and responded to a central focus in the creative process.
Permanent exhibitions
The Mattress Factory hosts 17 continuous, permanent installations. The following is a short list of artists who have permanent displays at the Mattress Factory:
Technology
The Mattress Factory was a pioneer among museums venturing into the world of social media. Platforms include a blog, MF iConfess, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, and the Mattress Factory Channel on YouTube. In 2008 the museum was the first in the U.S. to offer paperless membership, and in April 2009, the Mattress Factory became the first museum in the United States to use QR codes as a visitor engagement tool. In an attempt to reduce the quantity of printed materials it produces, the Mattress Factory uses QR codes throughout the museum to provide supplementary information to visitors.
Education
In conjunction with its gallery exhibitions, the Mattress Factory operates educational programming throughout the year for both youth and adults. Programs include community workshops, artist talks, youth summer camp, and art-based educational partnerships with local schools.
Gallery
References
11. ^ King Elaine A. "The Mattress Factory at 20: The Jewel In Pittsburgh's Art Crown." Sculpture Magazine, December 1997 Vol.16 No.10
External links
- The Mattress Factory Art Museum (MF), official website
- MF blog
- MF iConfess
- MF on Twitter
- MF on Facebook
- MF on Flickr
- MF FOURSQUARE
- MF LAST.FM
- MF Channel on YouTube.
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