RECAP // Coffee Date with Stephen Bram

Last Saturday, we settled into the Mattress Factory Café to start off a new season of Coffee Dates and chat with Australian artist Stephen Bram, one of the exhibiting artists in the recently opened Factory Installed show. Stephen’s piece, "Third floor West gallery 500 Sampsonia Way," is an architectural installation that uses shifted perspective to create a three dimensional space of smooth white walls and exposed timber.

We started the morning with an insightful discussion about the similarities and differences between Pittsburgh and Stephen’s hometown of Melbourne. As usual, conversation was accompanied by piping-hot coffee from Commonplace Coffeehouse, teas from Arnold’s Tea, and fresh donuts from Priory Bakery. After we had our fill, we headed up into the gallery to see Stephen’s piece and to talk about it in the gallery space. Because the piece had just opened the night before, most members were seeing this room-sized structure for the first time.

Stephen answered numerous questions about the construction and design of his piece. One of his favorite aspects of "Third floor West gallery 500 Sampsonia Way" is the way that the structure interacts with each of the permanent installations that surround it. Whether the pieces deal with perspective, like James Turrell and Sarah Oppenheimer's works, or an autobiographical concept, as with Greer Lankton's work, he appreciates that almost everything on the third floor can connect in some way.

Members, be sure to RSVP for the next Coffee Date this Saturday, October 8^th, with Mohammed Musallam. We hope to see you there!

RECAP // Coffee Date with Kevin Clancy

On August 20th, members filled the Mattress Factory Café for coffee and conversation at the last Coffee Date of the series with 2016 Factory Installed artist Kevin Clancy. Kevin’s piece, IRIS_SIRI, is on display in our gallery at 1414 Monterey Street.

We started out the morning with hot coffee from Commonplace Coffee just around the corner, teas from Arnold’s Tea, and delicious specialty breads from Breadworks Bakery. After a quick introduction, the group headed down to 1414 Monterey to view IRIS_SIRI. After gaining some insight into how he pays homage to other MF Artists like James Turrell and Yayoi Kusama, we asked a couple more questions and then made our way back to the café to continue the discussion. 

Conversation changed quickly from chatting about the cat Kevin lives with (his roommate’s grey tabby) and questions about his background, to how technology and social media are changing how we interact with other people and affecting important global events. We were lucky enough to have a broad range of ages participating in this event, so we heard and assortment of stories and experiences about social media, texting, and time.

Members, look out for a postcard in the mail for the next series of Coffee Dates, starting Saturday, September 17th with Mohammed Musallam. We hope to see you there, and make sure to RSVP! 

RECAP // Coffee Date with Lauren Kalman

Last Saturday, Mattress Factory members met in the Mattress Factory Café to chat with exhibiting artist Lauren Kalman over coffee, bread and tea. Lauren’s piece, Strangers to the Garden, is one of four installations in the Factory Installed show currently exhibited in the 1414 Monterey Street satellite gallery.

Once members made their way out of the rain and into the café, everyone had their fill of breads from BreadWorks Bakery and caffeinated with coffee from Commonplace Coffeehouse and tea from Arnold’s Tea. Lauren gave an overview of her piece and the idea behind her current series But if the Crime is Beautiful… which led to a lively discussion about how she sees jewelry and adornment in general, and how that influences her work. After learning about the process behind creating the 30,000+ gold foil kudzu leaves in her work, which utilized 3D printing during its pressing, we talked about technology and its growing role in even traditional forms of art, such as metalwork and jewelry making.

The highlight of the event was our trip over to 1414 Monterey to see Strangers to the Garden with Lauren. For many of the members, it was their first time seeing the piece. Being able to talk with the artist while taking in her piece in was a great experience for everyone and provided perspective for our discussion in the café.

Members, don't forget to RSVP to join us for the next Coffee Date with Kevin Clancy on Saturday, August 20. We hope to see you there! 

RECAP // Factory 500: Behind-the-Scenes with Artist Dennis Maher

Artist Dennis Maher in his installation at 516 Sampsonia Way

Last Thursday, Factory 500 members got to go where no members have gone before...into the working mind of Buffalo artist Dennis Maher! Dennis has been working over at the Mattress Factory's 516 Sampsonia Way gallery building for the past month installing his upcoming exhibition set to open Saturday, August 13, 2016.

Still in an unfinished state, Factory 500 members were able to navigate through Dennis' intense work-in-progress, while picking his brain about his process. Dennis' installation spans all three floors of the Mattress Factory's 516 Sampsonia Way gallery building.

Following the tour, Factory 500 members and Dennis joined Co-Directors Barbara Luderowski and Michael Olijnyk upstairs in their 6th floor loft atop the Mattress Factory's main building. Factory 500 members were able to continue their conversation with Dennis, while enjoying a cocktail and browsing the Co-Directors' impressive art collection.

Photo of Co-Directors Barbara Luderowski & Michael Olijnyk's private loft on the 6th floor of the museum

For more information about Factory 500, please contact Caitlin Harpster, Fundraising & Donor Relations Officer, at caitlin@mattress.org or 412.231.3169.

RECAP // Coffee Date with Marnie Weber

This past Saturday, MF Members joined Factory Installed artist Marnie Weber for a special behind-the-scenes Coffee Date. Marnie is in the process of creating her installation "Night Train" in the Lower Level of the museum's main building at 500 Sampsonia Way. Her installation will be part of the museum's upcoming exhibition, Factory Installed, featuring four artists from around the globe. The Factory Installed Opening Reception will be held Friday, September 18 from 6-8pm.

Marnie gave a brief overview of her practice and her experience working with galleries located in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London and Athens, Greece. Marnie is building a train in the Lower Level and explained her fascination with trains began at a very early age when she lived for a year in Taiwan next to a steam engine. "Night Train" will be accompanied by many effigies or spirit totems, as Marnie likes to call them. These spirit totems are created by manipulating found objects such as masks and wigs, and sculpting them to give a monster-like appearance. "I like to work with monsters because no females tend to work with monsters. It's more of a man's thing," Marnie explained.

 

After the introduction, Marnie toured the group through her partially installed work, explaining that it will look completely different in a few weeks when the exhibition opens. Marnie is also a musician and is composing a soundtrack that will be played on a loop in the installation. "The lighting will also be totally different," Marnie made sure to tell everyone. "It will be more theatrical!"

Marnie Weber's "Night Train" opens as part of Factory Installed on September 18 and will be open through Spring 2016.

For more information about upcoming Coffee Dates or to become a member, visit our website at www.mattress.org.

ALL-NEW // Audio Guides!

Have you ever been exploring the museum and found yourself saying: I wonder how they made that, or I wonder what the inspiration behind that work was? Some of these answers may surprise you, and with our brand new audio guides, the Mattress Factory is offering you the chance to dig deeper into your favorite installations, and even into some behind-the-scenes commentary on the museum itself.

Simply go to mattress.org and click this image at the top of the page when it scrolls by, or click the Audio Guides icon on the bottom right corner of the home page. This will send you to the Mattress Factory's Soundcloud page, where you can listen to one of our museum educators walk you through the artist, materials, and vision behind the making of any installation of your choice currently on display. You can also listen to MF Co-Director Michael Olyjnik talk about everything from how Sarah Oppenheimer managed to build her hole in the floor, to the history of each of the buildings that now belong to the Mattress Factory, to the Mattress Factory's artist-centric mission and the seemingly endless variety of materials used to facilitate the vision and work of artists throughout the years.

Audio Guides can be listened to while exploring the museum, with complementary headphones at the door or with headphones of your own, or after you've visited and had the chance to experience the works for yourself. We hope you enjoy this round of guides, and there will be more to come with future exhibitions!

RECAP // Coffee Date with John Peña

MF Members gathered around the tables in the MF Café this past Saturday to have a conversation with artist John Peña!

The chat naturally revolved around the making of John's "Word Balloons," on view through May 31 at the museum. Over the duration of a cup or two of coffee, John explained how the word balloons evolved from a project he began over a decade ago called "Letters to the Ocean." Since 2003, John has written over 3,000 letters to the Pacific Ocean about his daily happenings. John sometimes included private drawings to accompany these letters. Hiding these drawings in a letter addressed to the Pacific Ocean, John explained, was a way to express himself without exposing himself. "Eventually I realized I was censoring myself," John explained. So he decided to stop hiding his drawings in letters that would never be opened. "Daily Geology" is a compilation of all his drawings from 2014. The phrase "Sometimes I just don't know how to be in the world," written on one of the two word balloons John created for the Mattress Factory, was taken directly from one of John's daily drawings.

The next Coffee Date will be Saturday, May 2, 2015 with upcoming artist in residence, Julie Schenkelberg. This Coffee Date will take place in our 1414 Monterey Street gallery. Please RSVP to Caitlin Harpster, Development & Membership Coordinator.

Not a member? Join today!

RECAP // Coffee Dates with Kathleen Montgomery

This past Saturday, March 21st, marked the second installment of the Mattress Factory's new member program Coffee Dates with special guest Kathleen Montgomery. MF Members of all ages gathered around the tables in the MF Café to sit and chat with her.

Kathleen Montgomery is one of the artists in the Mattress Factory's current exhibition Artists in Residence. Her exhibition, "Body Memory Architecture" is located at the museum's satellite gallery 1414 Monterey Street. Kathy's exhibition closes March 29th. She is a long-time friend of the Mattress Factory that first exhibited at the MF in 1989 with a solo show "Toward the Dark," and again in a Gestures show in 2003. More information about these exhibitions can be found in the Active Archive on our website.

After everyone got settled with their coffee and tea, the conversation was quick to begin with an opening comment by Kathleen regarding how she begins her artistic process. "It's all made by hand. My hands are where I start," she said. Members were eager to jump in, drawing their own connections to the human form and body. One member made the comment that the exhibition felt "meditative and spiritual." Another referred to it as "beautifully wild." Another member said she was speechless.

The next Coffee Date will be with artist John Peña on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 10:30am in the MF Café. RSVP to caitlin@mattress.org.

PREVIEW // ARTLab: Feel the Music

  In our last ARTLab we created TAZs (Temporary Autonomous Zones) and people got SUPER SILLY. Check out how much fun people had when they rewrote the rules and had some fun.



If you have ever watched a dramatic movie scene or comedy, you certainly understand the importance of sound and music in art to evoke emotion. The right music can completely affect the way you view almost anything, including visual art, as exhibited by Danny Bracken’s What Does It Mean? When I visited the installation this weekend with sound on my mind, I began thinking about what it would be like without the soundtrack playing in the room. Would I see the piece the same or would my feelings about it completely change? I’m sure I wouldn’t have considered the feeling of false naturalness as greatly if the digital recording wasn’t playing.



Exploration of the idea of feeling and interacting with sound and music is the focus of the next ARTLab this Saturday, February 21, 2015 in the Mattress Factory Lobby. We will be experimenting with low frequency sounds from a variety of sources to investigate the different ways sound and music can be experienced. There will also be a cool gadget that can generate low frequencies and allow you to feel the vibrations in your body, taking the idea to a whole new level! Whether you toot on some jugs or literally feel the music with a signal generator through a big speaker, you’re bound to have a great time playing with and contemplating the sensations of sound.

ARTLab and Drop-in Tours are open to all ages and FREE with museum admission, so come down and explore the world of sound and music with us!

RECAP // Coffee Dates with Benjamin Sota

Saturday, February 14th marked the first edition of Coffee Dates, with special guest Benjamin Sota. MF Members made their way through the snow to the museum to enjoy a warm cup of coffee with Ben.

Benjamin Sota is an artist presenting work in the Mattress Factory's current exhibition Artists in Residence, on view through Spring 2015. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Zany Umbrella Circus; an Assistant Professor of physical theater, movement and circus at Coastal Carolina University; and has taught and performed in places such as Jordan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and the White House.

After introductions, Benjamin began the Coffee Date with a story about the history of circus. He talked about his many experiences traveling the globe and the idea of "social circus." Members got to hear his side of his experience working at the Mattress Factory. Explaining that his work on the fourth floor, Damn Everything But the Circus (2014), is his first installation, he says, "I've never felt so uncomfortable as an artist. As a performer all my life, I have always been the artwork. But here, I am not the artwork. My installation is."

Join us for our next Coffee Date with Kathleen Montgomery, Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 10:30am in the MF Café. RSVP to caitlin@mattress.org.

PREVIEW // February 7 ARTLab: Gettin' Silly!

Making spaceships at the last ARTLab was more popular than we expected! We were so impressed by the enthusiasm and the creativity of all our participants. Folks used recycled cardboard boxes and LED lights to make their own spaceships, taking inspiration from Ryder Henry's installation Diaspora.

 

When visiting a museum or gallery, how do you typically act? I would guess you are very courteous and quiet, while trying your hardest to avoid touching things. At the next ARTLab, we will be breaking that habit by bringing Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZs for short) to the Mattress Factory.

What is a TAZ you ask? According to artist in residence Benjamin Sota, they are a “socio-political tactic of creating temporary spaces that elude formal structures of control” and can be very influential in how people think about society. In these spaces, individuals can act in ways they normally wouldn’t dare, free from the constraints of  “normal” societal behavior. Sota creates a TAZ in his exhibition Damn everything but the circus, an installation that invites viewers to forget the rules and play to get a full understanding of the pieces.

 

At the upcoming ARTLab, visitors will be invited to create their own TAZs, each with a different “rule” everyone must follow upon entering - the sillier, the better. Sota makes it clear that TAZs don’t work unless EVERYONE commits, so come out and join us for a fun afternoon of breaking the rules!

ARTLab and Drop-in Tours are open to all ages and free with museum admission. See you there!

ANNOUNCING // New Event Series for MF Members!

Have you ever wanted to sit down with a Mattress Factory artist and pick their brain? Do you have a bunch of questions you'd like to ask them? How did you make this? How long did it take you? What does it mean? Well, here is your chance!

Introducing Coffee Dates -- a FREE new event series that allows members to have coffee with an exhibiting MF artist. Join us on select Saturday mornings from 10:30-11:30am in the MF Café and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with MF artists.

Mark your calendars for Coffee Dates with Artist in Residence artists:

• February 14:  Coffee with Benjamin Sota
• March 21:  Coffee with Kathleen Montgomery
• April 18:  Coffee with John Peña

We encourage you to arrive to museum at 10am to see the artist's installation on your own (if you haven't already) before your Coffee Date begins. A free drop-in tour will follow Kathleen Montgomery's and John Peña's Coffee Dates.

Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to get to know your favorite artists!

This series is FREE for MF Members. Members are allowed to bring guests. Guests pay cost of admission.

Please RSVP to Caitlin Harpster, Development & Membership Coordinator, by calling 412.231.3169 or e-mailing caitlin@mattress.org. Space is limited. Coffee and tea are provided.

Not a member? Join today.

MF IN THE NEWS // The Saturday Light Brigade, January 2015

Benjamin Sota, whose work Damn everything but the circus is part of the museum's Artists in Residence exhibition currently on view, was interviewed on The Saturday Light Brigade radio program on Saturday, January 3. Listen to the full interview here.

PREVIEW // ARTLab: Mask-Making + Performance with Benjamin Sota!

Benjamin Sota, whose work is currently on display at the museum, will be leading a circus and physical theater workshop in his installation Damn everything but the circus from 1-2:30pm on Saturday, January 2. Learn how to use the circus equipment in his installation, some neat physical theater moves, and mask techniques. The workshop is $5 and you can RSVP by emailing education@matress.org.

In addition to the workshop, you can join us in the lobby and make your own mask at an ARTLab program from 1-4pm! We’ll have another performance at 4pm where you can learn and show off some more physical theater moves in your very own mask. Maybe you can try on a mask made by someone else, too!

You may find that you feel more free to do things you would otherwise not do when you have a mask on. Ben’s installation invites you to interact and perform in a space where, in any other normal situation, you’d be "breaking the rules" - to play, make loud noises and touch a piece of art in a museum. He calls the circus a Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ). Creating a TAZ is a socio-political tactic of creating temporary spaces that elude formal structures of control andhave been know to spark change throughout the world.

If you gave yourself permission to put on a fun mask, break some of your own internal rules of behavior, play and perform in a new way for a little while, perhaps you’ll discover something you could try differently in the way you move about the world.

Come play with us! ARTLab is free with your museum admission and is open to all ages.

PREVIEW // ARTLab: Experimentations with Kathleen Montgomery!

This Fall, the Mattress Factory is offering ARTLab programs with each of the artists exhibiting in the museum's Artists in Residence exhibition. ARTLabs are programs for all ages + FREE with museum admission. Come early and you can catch the FREE drop-in tour at noon, led by one of our museum educators.

This weekend, we’ll be joined by artist in residence Kathleen Montgomery for ARTLab. Kathleen allows her own intuition to lead while working with raw materials. In her installation Body Memory Architecture, you’ll find natural abstract shapes made of earth, plaster, wood, wax, as well as prints and drawings, as she explores the dialogue between each form and the space around it.

On the second floor of the museum's 1414 Monterey Street galleries, you’ll find Kathleen’s drawings that were created while listening to theremin music. A theremin is a type of electronic instrument that creates sound depending on how close you are to the antennae on the instrument. While listening to this music she responded to the vibrating quality of the sound with her body and arm movements, creating the drawings you see here.

In ARTLab, we’ll have a real theremin set up for visitors to play with, and visitors can use paint brushes and wear blindfolds and create drawings in response to the sounds of the theremin. Through this process, visitors will be able to get in touch with their body and senses and create something spontaneous and unique.

See you there!