PREVIEW // Family Day 2015

Looking for something to do after you've had your share of turkey and stuffing? Want something the whole family can enjoy after some early morning shopping? Join us for Family Day, on November 27th from 11am - 4pm! Activities will be located in the museum lobby @ 500 Sampsonia Way and are FREE with museum admission.

Make a patterned sphere medallion inspired by Bill Smith's spherodendron.

Imagine and create a movable museum creature that could live comfortably in any one of our installations.

Rob Voerman had the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning in mind when he created his piece, Faculty. Share your very own favorite Pittsburgh architecture by drawing it, sharing a story, or using your imagination to edit, alter and have with the steel city's skyline!

Weave a collaborative string installation with your family. Will you choose to be wild and chaotic like Chiharu Shiota's Trace of Memory? Or are you more orderly and straightforward like Anne Lindberg's Shift Lens?

Play with light in our mini-factory. Even the youngest guests can participate in exploring shadows, shapes and colors with projectors and flashlights!

Go on an adventure when you explore all three museum buildings with an interactive scavenger hunt. Keep your eyes and ears open and sketch, draw and record your findings.

Enjoy face painting by Rikki and warm up with a free hot cocoa at our hot chocolate bar!

PREVIEW // Art + Conversation

Anne Lindberg was inspired by a collaboration between composer Philip Glass and sculptor Richard Serra. The idea of marrying art and music inspired Anne and the museum to create a very special Art + Conversation program.

On Thursday, October 15th shift lens will be accompanied by a one-time-only performance by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Cellist/Pittsburgh Piano Trio Founder Mikhail Istomin. Following, there will be a conversation between "Factory Installed" exhibition artists Anne Lindberg and Julie Schenkelberg where they will discuss their work and process in the lobby of 500 Sampsonia Way. There will be a cash bar and admission is pay-what-you-wish. The program is FREE for MF Members and students from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh and Point Park University. Space is very limited! RSVP today: http://bit.ly/1UT1afB

Anne's piece Shift Lens, part of the "Factory Installed" exhibition, was in itself a performance creating its own music as it was being constructed.

"So there is a gesture moving in two directions and the piece is viewable from one side, the outdoors is on the other side... The thread is held taut with staples and the line, in terms of a process, the lines that make up the work are stitched or threaded back and forth between the walls as if you are stitching the architecture. There is a person at each wall wielding a staple gun and there is a runner or perhaps one of us stepping down and moving the thread so it is a performance of sorts when it is being made, it makes a little bit of noise. This sort of rhythm of drawing back and forth and that performative quality is really interesting to me."


Julie Schenkelberg is also a Mattress Factory artist whose piece The Color of Temperance: Embodied Energy is part of the "Factory Installed" exhibition. Julie describes her process of collecting materials to compose her piece and the narrative she tries to convey to the viewer.

"Sometimes I explain my pieces as if they are tattered manuals and pieces are discarded or missing and then we have these objects in front of us that we're unsure how to operate. So I operate them the way that I would imagine and therefor pieces of molding become structure for the room. Dishes become pieces that support a chair ... You walk in and it's completely chaotic and it is totally blended together as the same symphony and it becomes this quiet moment."

PREVIEW // Factory 500: Lenka Clayton Studio + Clemente Museum Visit

Coming up next for our Factory 500 member program, we will be taking members on a one-of-a-kind tour of artist Lenka Clayton's studio in Polish Hill and to the Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville!

Lenka Clayton is a British conceptual artist whose work considers, exaggerates and alters the accepted rules of everyday life, extending the familiar into the realms of the poetic and absurd. Some of her previous works have included filming one person each age from 1 to 100, hand-numbering 7,000 stones, and founding An Artist Residency In Motherhood - a fully funded and structured artist residency that takes place inside her own home and life as a mother of two young children. Currently, Lenka and writer Michael Crowe are in the process of writing a personal letter to every household in America.

The Clemente Museum showcases the world's largest exhibited collection of baseball artifacts, works of art, literature, photographs and memorabilia which focus on Pittsburgh Pirate legend Roberto Clemente, his teammates, his personal life and his humanitarian causes. Here you can find everything from his 1960 and 1971 World Series rings, to his Gold Glove Awards, to a vase Roberto made for his wife Vera with her name scratched into it.

This event will take place on July 11, 2015 with the following schedule:

Lenka Clayton Studio // 3100 Brereton St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219 | 2:30 - 4:15 pm

Clemente Museum // 3339 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15201 | 4:30 - 6pm

For more information on our Factory 500 program, click here or contact Caitlin Harpster.

Factory 500 is a great way to meet and connect with other contemporary art enthusiasts! Members enjoy exclusive entrée to artist studios, private collections and behind-the-scenes access to some of the most unique art happenings around Pittsburgh. Visit the "For Members" page to see upcoming Factory 500 events.

PREVIEW // ARTLab: Feel the Music!

Ever wonder why music makes you feel the way you do? The secret's in the low frequency sound. For this upcoming ARTLab program, you'll have the opportunity to make your own low-frequency music and sounds that you can hear and feel for yourself!

By experimenting with speaker settings and levels, you can see how music affects anything from a person's mood to a whole room's atmosphere. Inspired by Danny Bracken's 2014 piece, What Does It Mean?, explore sound and its effects on the subconscious by creating it yourself. From toddlers to adults, the Mattress Factory invites all to participate in "Feel the Music!" on Saturday, June 6 at 1pm. Be sure to come early to enjoy a guided tour of the museum - both are complementary with museum admission.

PREVIEW // Literacy Day @ the MF

Join us next Saturday, May 23rd for a day of exploring the wonderful world of literature! This Literacy Day will be filled with a variety of activities from story time and bookmark crafts to a book sale, and will include visits from the Land of Nod Bookmobile and Little Free Libraries. Here's what the schedule for the day looks like:

Mini-Factory: MEMORY! / 10AM-11AM

The Mini-Factory program is for children ages 3-5 and their parents or caregivers. Young children explore a variety of themes and installations at the Mattress Factory, participate in story time and work on a collaborative hands-on project.

Land of Nod Tour Bus Visit / 11AM-1PM

The Land of Nod Bookmobile is bussing into Pittsburgh! Enjoy a story time, bookmark crafts and much more. For every book purchased from The Land of Nod, Random House Children's Books will donate one to Milk + Bookies, a charitable organization that provides books to those who can't afford their own.

Little Free Libraries / 12PM-5PM

Join Brasher High School students and Repair the World: Pittsburgh in a kickoff event for their Little Free Libraries initiative. Browse the Little Free Libraries the students have created and "adopt" one for installation in your own neighborhood.

Donating five books will will get you FREE admission to the museum all day long!

PREVIEW // MF Sound Series

Join us for April's "MF After 5" event! Museum doors will be open until 8pm on Thursday, April 16 and Kevin Clancy's silent video installation your heart is a prism will be on view in the MF Lobby as part of our ongoing SCREENINGS series. Live sound performances will accompany Clancy's work throughout the evening.

Can't make it April 16? Swing by on Sunday, April 19 between 1-5pm to see additional live sound performances created in response to Clancy's work.

From the artist // A new prismatic video installation for Mattress Factory's SCREENINGS series. All visuals are produced through analog and physical processes, bending light through a series of crystals, prisms, colored plexiglas, rainbow diffraction grating films, emergency blankets, and lenses during a week at Cat Mansion Residency in Ann Arbor, MI and Sleeping Bear Dunes in Empire, MI.

The title and mantra of this piece was inspired by the “Your Heart Is A Prism!” poster by Peter Glantz, Becky Stark, and Jacob Ciocci. Check out their respective mountains of awesome work.

PREVIEW // "Factory Installed" Exhibition

Preparations for the upcoming exhibition Factory Installed are already underway! Factory Installed is a two-part exhibition opening in May and September that will feature installations from eight artists chosen from a pool of over 500 applicants. One of these artists, Biogenous, explores the architectural use of mutually beneficial microbes to change buildings from units of consumption to units of production. Earlier this week, Jake Douenias of Biogenous explained some of his early designs to Heather McElwee and Jason Forck of the Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC).

                                       
During day one of working in the PGC hot shop, Jake continues to tweak his CAD designs while Jason begins work at the glassblower’s bench. New school and old school unite in a beautiful way.

The final shapes will be filled with several gallons of water and suspended from the ceiling, so Jake must test the design of his hanging system using an unfinished early prototype. The results are great!

We would like to give a huge thank you to the PGC for their support in the design and fabrication of the glass structures that will be used in this installation at the Mattress Factory running from May 15, 2015 through Winter 2016. 

PREVIEW // ARTLab: Penny Arcade in the Galleries!

This Saturday, Penny Arcade is joining us again at the Mattress Factory for some afternoon fun! Using inspiration from the artwork and input from visitors, the Penny Players will create spontaneous theater right in the galleries.

Penny Arcade's Penny Players at their Winter Cheer show!

Penny Arcade is an improv comedy group specializing in family shows at Arcade Comedy Theater every second Saturday at 1pm. The show is a fun and creative learning opportunity for children to see how their contributions can change a story into something zany and unique.

Improvised comedy is a type of theater that is made up in the moment. None of the content of an improvised show is ever rehearsed beforehand. There are no scripts or lines to memorize - it’s all created by the performers using suggestions from the audience. It is an agreement between the performers to play together and to accept and build upon the ideas each performer brings to the stage. Just as our Mattress Factory artists-in-residence are inspired and influenced by the gallery space, an improviser also takes inspiration from their fellow performers, the theater space, and the audience who comes to watch. We’re really excited to have installation art and improv in the same place this weekend.

Come to the Mattress Factory this Saturday and see some live performances by the Penny Arcade. They need your suggestions to make their show come alive.

As always, ARTLab is FREE with admission and takes place from 1-4pm in the MF Lobby. All ages welcome (even adults).  Don't forget there’s also a FREE drop-in tour that begins at noon - just meet at the Admissions Desk at that time to join in.

Penny Arcade’s next show will be on March 14 at 1pm downtown at Arcade Comedy Theater, just in time to celebrate the St. Patrick's Day parade festivities!

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!

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!

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: Scribble Machine Wrapping Paper for the Winter Art Market!

Enjoy the Winter Art Market and make your own Scribble Machine Wrapping Paper to wrap up those one-of-a-kind gifts! Here are some pictures of Scribble Machines in action from last weekend's Member Appreciation event.

 
Happy Holidays from the Mattress Factory! We hope to see you Saturday!