After-School Program Launches at the Mattress Factory

For 12 weeks, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders from Pittsburgh Allegheny Traditional K-5 are spending their Wednesday afternoons at the Mattress Factory with artist Ben Sota of the Zany Umbrella Circus!

Install: Afternoons at the Factory, funded by the Keith Haring Foundation, is a continuation of the Mattress Factory’s Summer Community Art Labs. The students participating in this free after-school program will experience an intensive exploration of the galleries that goes beyond the scope of a regular afternoon field trip. Led by Ben and Mattress Factory museum educators, students will engage in thoughtful discussion in the galleries that will inform collaborative art projects. Students will also spend some time completing their homework and enjoying some healthy snacks! Current special snack requests: pickles, pretzels, and pineapple. If you think their food tastes are pretty creative, then you should look forward to the art projects they create in the next few months!

The education model at the Mattress Factory seeks to mirror the exhibition model of its resident artists: providing a lab for artists to experiment, take risks, and explore their own artistic practice. The result is site-specific work that connects the artists and their work to the neighborhood. The after-school students, as residents of the neighborhood, get the chance to explore and engage directly with the museum, taking ownership of the institution as a community resource. The Mattress Factory Education Department hopes this program will help promote community engagement and showcase the unique education opportunities available to it’s North Side neighbors.

We’re looking forward to what Ben and the Allegheny Traditional students create!

Stay posted to find out about other Educational Opportunities. Feel free to be in touch with our Director of Education at Felice@mattress.org for more information about our winter and spring after school programs or other educational opportunities.