Wednesday, January 26, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BARBARA!

Thirty-four years ago, this woman established an organization that would touch hundreds of thousands of lives in Pittsburgh and beyond. The Mattress Factory has welcomed installation artists from all over the world including Ann Hamilton, Damien Hirst, Jessica Stockholder, David Ellis, Yayoi Kusama, and more than 450 others.

Today, staff wore double-denim (also known as the Canadian tuxedo) and sat on exercise balls – two things for which the Mattress Factory founder, Barbara Luderowski, is known – in honor of her birthday. Maybe next year we’ll shave our hair down to an inch in length. Maybe.

Barbara, thank you for everything you’ve done and everything you do.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

DR. ROBERT FARRIS THOMPSON ON AFRO-ATLANTIC ART


Robert Farris Thompson is America’s most prominent scholar of African art and its influence on American and Caribbean art and music. In the preface to Thompson’s forthcoming book, Aesthetic of the Cool: Afro-Atlantic Art and Music, publisher Gloria Kury calls him a living legend, and based on what I’ve read, I’d say that description is right on target.

Dr. Robert Farris Thompson

He has published eight books on topics ranging from the art history of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria (Black Gods and Kings, 1971) to the cultural history of the tango (Tango: The Art History of Love, 2005). The Master of Timothy Dwight College at Yale, Thompson also authored an introduction to the diaries of Keith Haring and studies the art of Jose Bedia and Guillermo Kuitca. He has been anthologized fifteen times and was given the 2007 “Outstanding Contribution to Dance Research” award by the Congress of Research in Dance.

Long story short, this guy is brilliant.

Which is why we are thrilled to announce that Thompson will be visiting the MF this February for a tour of Queloides and a discussion! Dr. Thompson will present The Edge of the Road is Listening: The Art and Origin of an Afro-Cuban God. He will also be speaking about his almost-at-the-printers book, Aesthetic of the Cool, which collects the best of the essays on Afro-Atlantic art and music that he wrote from 1963 to 2006.

The evening is sure to be incredible; Gloria Kury recalls waiting outside one of Thompson’s classes at Yale and being bombarded by the sounds of music punctuated by thunderous applause. Not to mention my recent Internet search that yielded images of Thompson dancing the tango during several different lectures!

Talk: Dr. Robert Farris Thompson
Thursday, February 3, 2011
6:00PM – Tour of Queloides
7:00PM – Discussion
Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
The cost is $10, and as always, MF Members and Pitt and CMU students are free!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

URBAN GARDEN PARTY: FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2011



2011 URBAN GARDEN PARTY: FROM HOLLYWOOD TO PARADISE
Friday, June 17, 2011
7:00 PM (VIP Pre-Party at 6:00 PM)
TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT! (as of 6/17/11 12pm)


Heading to the party? Here are some parking tips.

Headlining Music Performers:
AndrewAndrew, the iPad DJs from NYC
Dr. Zoot, neo-swing band


Save the date for the Mattress Factory Urban Garden Party: From Hollywood to Paradise -- chaired by Michael White and Rick LeBeau -- Friday, June 17th, 2011! The Urban Garden Party is the event of the summer you don't want to miss. Last year, the event sold out and more than 1,000 attendees turned out to help support the museum's mission and celebrate this unique Pittsburgh institution.
"...the Mattress Factory's Urban Garden Party is the type of gig that, if missed, will result in an eyebrow raised ever so slightly in an oh-so-you-weren't-there? sympathetic sort of condolence."
- Kate Guerriero, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 20, 2010

Still not convinced you should come? Check out these photos from last year's party!

GET INVOLVED!
Interested in sponsoring this event? Contact Emily at emily [at] mattress [dot] org
Interested in donating food or drink? Contact Gina at events [at] mattress [dot] org
Interested in volunteering for the evening? Contact Kelsey and Maria at volunteer [at] mattress [dot] org


2011 SPONSORS

Allegheny General Hospital

AT&T


Avaya, Inc.


CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc


Cisco

Dell

IBM

JV Chujko

Oracle

PNC Bank


Tata Consultancy Services

UPMC Health Plan

Verizon

Visa


AGH Friends of Dr. Michael White
All Lines Technology
Apple Box Studios
Beacon Hill Technologies
BikePGH
Brush Footwear
Burroughs Payment Systems, Inc.

CIBER, Inc.
Clique Vodka
Cohen & Grigsby

CompuGroup Technologies

ConsultUSA
CrawfordEllenbogen LLC
CSC
Deeplocal
Dell
Deloitte LLP
EMC Corporation
First National Bank of Pennsylvania
H Marketing
H.J. Heinz Company
Henderson Brothers
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Hewlett-Packard Company
Hilbish McGee Lighting Design
Huntington National Bank
IKON
Maher Duessel CPAs
Medical Staff at Allegheny General Hospital
Mosaic Inc.
NEP Supershooters

Orange Business Services

Peoples Natural Gas
Plastic Surgery of Pittsburgh
Chris and Gloria Post

Preservation Technologies
Presidio Networked Solutions
Pyramid Consulting Group, Inc.

Xerox



2011 MEDIA SPONSORS











2011 LEAD FOOD AND BEVERAGE SPONSORS

2011 FOOD AND BEVERAGE SPONSORS
Milano's Pizza
Yuengling Beer


Friends of the Garden Party
All of our hard-working volunteers and staff
ALCO Parking
Analise Bahneman
Dennis Bergevin
BikePGH
Brush Footwear
Dicks Sporting Goods
Elsen Associates
Flowerama
Here You Go!
Leaf and Bean
Leed's
Massage Envy Squirrel Hill
Nakama
Party Savvy
Guy Stofman
SMARTSolution Technologies L.P.
TeeRex Syndicate/The Cotton Factory
War Admiral Press
Wright Contract Interiors
Venture Outdoors

Garden Party Committee

Barbara Barry

Catena Bergevin

Shannon Berkheiser

Alana Bly

Erin Borger

David Bush and Tim McVay

Debra Caplan

Emily Craig

Vivian Lee Croft

Gina D’Amico

Janice Donatelli

Matt Donnelly

Rich and Cindy Engler

Harris Ferris

James Foreman

Patti Fowler

Hal and Linda Hilbish

Jeffrey Inscho

Liz Keller

Karey Jo Kluesner

Shannon Knepper

Meredith Knight

Leah Koval

Anthony and Linda Lacenere

Ryan Lammie

Scott and Susan Lammie

Mike Lee

Nathan Martin and Heather Estes

Shelly Mathew

Teresa Montoya

Kayan Moussoba

Lindsay O’Leary

Richard Parsakian

Kelsey Patsch

Carter Post

Christopher and Gloria Post

Locke Roberts

Roseanne Silva

Guy Stofman

Molly Tighe

Abby Vanim

John Verbanic

Danny Vogel

Spencer Warren

Rachelle Wolf

Matthew Yough



(We'll be updating this page periodically as the days grow closer to the event with special news about performances, food, drink, and sponsors, as well as a few surprises. So check back often!)