RUSS ORLANDO: SALT OF THE EARTH

Meet Russ Orlando. Russ arrived this week for his residency at the Mattress Factory to install his work for the exhibition, Detroit: Artists in Residence. Russ holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wayne State University and a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and has built his career as an artist primarily through performance, often using his own body as an impetus for social commentary. The artist's statement on his website offers:

Whether physically present in my work or creating a sculptural object, the methods I use attempt to capture the immediate in gestures, from a place that I both know and do not know. I experiment with performance, video, photography and collage, often in the same piece.

I like to explore conflict in my work, always leaving several entry points for the viewer. My natural inclination is to do things that are improvisational. To counter this, I’ll sometimes do a piece that’s very controlled and meticulous to refresh and regroup. But occasionally, I combine these two approaches. Most recently, I’ve been focusing on activating the performance in a sculptural object.

When I arrived at work this morning, Russ was standing in our administration office, clad in a mechanic's blue collared jumpsuit, stirring a pot of salt water. I would have raised an eyebrow, but things like that are more common here than not; one of the coolest aspects about working at the Mattress Factory is that we get to witness artists in action as they prepare their installations for public view. Russ invited me and my coffee out to the garden to watch him "salt" some of the pieces for his installation, which will incorporate old car parts crusted in salt. 

Russ Orlando (right) chats with MF co-director Michael Olijnyk about his project

Between hurling ladles of salty sludge at a rusted and graffiti-ed fender he pulled from a junkyard in Detroit, Russ explained that his process for this project is to not alter the original metal piece in any way, but to apply layers of salt, letting it "cure" in the sun for a few days at a time. 

Russ Orlando applies salt to metal car parts in the garden

Russ stressed that he likes to leave the way the salt adheres to the metal to chance, and referenced Richard Serra's early work with flinging red-hot lead at the wall and floor in Jasper John's studio.

I left Russ as he was dripping the last crystals of salt onto his fender and grill, wondering if the salt would eventually completely obscure that fabulous section of aqua paint on the fender. I suppose we won't know until the piece is finished--that is the exciting thing about installations at the Mattress Factory...you never know.

Save the date for the opening reception of new works by Detroit: Artists in Residence, Janine Antoni and Chiharu Shiota, September 12 from 7 - 9 p.m.
 

POSTED BY MANDY Read All Posts by Mandy

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS: WORKING "AS AN ARTIST"

As we discovered in our last post from the MF Archives, James Turrell's 1983 exhibition at the Mattress Factory marked a significant turning point for the museum, which until then had only exhibited works by local artists. Though the museum's exhibition program has grown to include works by artists from over 25 countries, many aspects of the early life of the Mattress Factory remain unchanged. In particular, I find it fascinating to look back and reflect on the museum's long-standing dedication to maintaining a creative workspace for artists. Ever since the very beginning, co-directors Barbara and Michael have encouraged artists to experiment with their craft, unencumbered by deadlines or commitments, and with the undivided support of the entire museum staff.

James Turrell planning his installations at the Mattress Factory, 1983

James Turrell's month-long residency was a flurry of activity. He worked alongside the construction crew, drafting and re-drafting plans, hanging drywall, and experimenting with a variety of effects until he was satisfied that his vision had been realized.

James Turrell planning and re-planning his installations, 1983

In November 1983, Turrell described his Mattress Factory residency as providing the time to take risks and explore far more possibilities within a space than he expected in a standard museum setting. He described the experiences as allowing him to "work as an artist," making messes, changing plans last minute, and allowing the artwork to evolve and develop through the creation process.[1]

 

James Turrell working "as an artist."

The 1983 Mattress Factory presentation of James Turrell works was a part of, Urban Pulses: The Artist and the City, a cross-institutional, city-wide exhibition heralded as the most significant expression of contemporary art in Pittsburgh in decades.[2] Over the course of several months contemporary art heavyweights Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Paul Thek, Gilbert and George, Romare Bearden, Roger Welch, Ed Paschke, Michael Smith, David Wojnarowczs and others filled gallery spaces across the city, offering varying takes on notions of urbanity, expression, and the grit of the city life.

Without a doubt, the most lasting work from this intensely vibrant period in the Pittsburgh art scene are the two Turrell works created during his residency, Pleiades and Danaë. We'll look closer at these works and learn about how they came to stay at the Mattress Factory in our next post.  

---

[1] Mattress Factory.  1983 Programs Completed Report.  Artists Files Collection. Mattress Factory Archives, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

[2] Miller, Donald. "Most significant art show since 69." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 22 October 1983: 21. Google News Web. 17 June 2013. 

POSTED BY MOLLY Read All Posts by Molly

MF at 35: Barbara Luderowski

We're celebrating a big milestone in 2013: the Mattress Factory's 35th anniversary! Our office has been abuzz with all of the wonderful things to come: our 35th Anniversary Bash next week, our Urban Garden Party: Soul Factory and Community Garden Party in June, the summer opening of our new building at 516 Sampsonia Way with an installation by Chiharu Shiota, our fall exhibitions Detroit Artists in Residence and Janine Antoni, as well as our 35th Anniversary Art Auction in October. So much is in front of us, we sometimes forget to look back at how we got here. If you know about the Mattress Factory, then you know about our founder, president and co-director Barbara Luderowski. Barbara, an artist herself, has a story for every year this museum has been alive. And then some. We caught her this week and asked her to talk about how the MF came to be, and this is what she had to say:

When I bought the Mattress Factory building 35 years ago, I had no idea that this is what it would end up being. 

I was looking for a new space, because I had just had a show at the Carnegie Museum and I was seeking a bigger studio. As a sculptor, I envisioned a place where I could work with other artists, because at the time, Pittsburgh didn’t have a strong identity as a city with a community of artists. I came across this huge empty building, which had formerly been a Sterns & Foster mattress factory. 

In the very early days, artists rented studios throughout the building, and we started a vegetarian co-operative restaurant to bring many different people together. We had a little bit of everything, good food, performance art, visual art, experimental theater, even a children’s theater group. There was a lot going on all over the place. It was a true collaboration.

I had absolutely no recognition, at all, that I was biting off more than I could chew. I just did it anyway. I didn’t have some grand vision all those years ago—I was just trying to create a place where I wanted to be, with other creative people. That place didn’t exist, so together we made it happen.

Even as we began to focus on installation art, we didn’t set out to become a museum. It happened organically. It came out of the energy of the art—the intersection of art and sculpture and architecture and sound and space and light. There wasn’t an end destination in mind. It has always been about the journey.

I got sucked in because it was a challenge, and it was a way to combine my interests in contemporary art, architecture, design, community development, and collaborating with other artists. When people said it couldn’t be done, we did it anyway. If we stumbled upon a problem, we went about solving it our own way.

Now, 35 years later, all I can say is, “to be continued…”

     

     Barbara Luderowski

     President and Co-Director

 

    

2013 URBAN GARDEN PARTY: SOUL FACTORY

2013 URBAN GARDEN PARTY
SOUL FACTORY: MOTOWN AT THE MUSEUM
Friday, June 21, 2013
VIP 6PM | $250 ($200 for MF Members; email us for code)
GENERAL ADMISSION 7-11PM | $100 ($75 for MF Members; email us for code)

Join us Friday, June 21 for the Mattress Factory's signature fundraiser, the Urban Garden Party, chaired by Anne and Anuj Dhanda. The Urban Garden Party is the premier social event of the year, drawing more than 1,300 attendees to help support the museum's mission in a festive atmosphere. Marking the museum's 35th year in Pittsburgh's North Side in 2013 and looking ahead to our fall exhibition, Detroit: Artists in Residence, we look back to the innovative drive and unrelenting spirit surrounding our founding decades ago and recognize a kindred spirit in Motown--a place, a people and a sound that move us to celebrate ingenuity. Come groove the night away with us and toast to the creative minds that have become the heart & soul of the city! 

General admission tickets get you into the hottest party of the year in the Mattress Factory's unique garden, with live entertainment, open bar, fare from over 40 food vendors and hobnobbing with Pittsburgh's art elite! VIP tickets open the doors to the exclusive VIP pre-party from 6 - 7:30pm, and then offer you access to the VIP Lounge--including a private bar, restroom and courtyard for VIPs only--throughout the night. Tickets sell out each year so don't wait!

All proceeds benefit the Mattress Factory’s artistic programs, exhibitions & education outreach.