Mattress Factory

Mattress Factory
The Mattress Factory
Location of the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh
Established 1977
Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°27′26″N 80°00′44″W / 40.45714770000001°N 80.01218699999998°W / 40.45714770000001; -80.01218699999998
Visitors 75,000 (2013)
Founder Barbara Luderowski
Director Michael Olijnyk
Website http://www.mattress.org/

The Mattress Factory is a museum of contemporary art located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. Located in the Mexican War Streets neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s Central Northside since 1977, the Mattress Factory is host to 75,000 visitors per year.[1] It exhibits room-sized installation art by regional, national and international artists.

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.[2] Its first exhibition of installation art opened five years later on May 8, 1982,[1] 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:[1]

  • 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 audience, and maintains selected individual installations in a growing—and distinctive—permanent collection. .[3]

Permanent exhibitions

As of 2017, the Mattress Factory hosts 17 continuous, permanent installations.[1] The following is a short list of artists who have permanent displays at the Mattress Factory:[4]

Name Artist Year
TrespassWilliam Anastasi1981
January 13, 1989, 10 minutes, 6BWilliam Anastasi1989
April 15, 1989, 32 minutes, 4BWilliam Anastasi1989
A CollaborationChicago Collaboration1993
Untitled installationJene Highstein1986
AshRolf Julius1991
RedRolf Julius1996
Music for a GardenRolf Julius1996
Infinity Dots Mirrored Room Yayoi Kusama1996
Repetitive VisionYayoi Kusama1996
It's all about ME, Not YouGreer Lankton1996
Garden InstallationWinifred Ann Lutz1993
UnbrellaVanessa Sica + Chris Kasabach2009
Catso, Red (1967)James Turrell1994
PleiadesJames Turrell1983
DanaëJames Turrell1983
Bed Sitting Rooms for an Artist in ResidenceAllen Wexler1988
Ship of Fools, Discovery of TimeBill Woodrow1986
610-3365Sarah Oppenheimer2008

Technology

The Mattress Factory was a pioneer among museums venturing into the world of social media.[5] 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 US 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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Facts". Mattress Factory. Retrieved June 13, 2012. Updated July 2013.
  2. ↑ Ludowski, Barbara. "A Life's Recounting in the Subject's Own Words". Pittsburgh Quarterly. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Mission Statement". Mattress Factory. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Permanent Exhibitions". Mattress Factory. 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  5. ↑ Smit, Debra. "Mattress Factory's groundbreaking foray into social media". Pop City. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Museum Uses Technology + New Media to Connect with Visitors". artdaily.org. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  7. ↑ Inscho, Jeffrey. "QR Codes: A Visitor's Resource Guide". The Mattress Factory. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  8. ↑ "Education". The Mattress Factory. 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.

11. ^ King Elaine A. "The Mattress Factory at 20: The Jewel In Pittsburgh's Art Crown." Sculpture Magazine, December 1997 Vol.16 No.10

Coordinates: 40°27′25″N 80°00′44″W / 40.45702°N 80.012337°W / 40.45702; -80.012337

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