Monday, December 19, 2011

pARTy LAB on Friday, December 30th

We had so much fun the day after Thanksgiving for our annual 2011 Family Day we’ve decided to do it again! Join us for pARTy LAB on Friday, December 30th from 11am-4pm for art activities in the museum’s lobby.

Here are photos from our Family Day last month... we loved it so much we're doing again!

Make a DIY Roadkill (inspired by Nika Kupyrova’s installation on our 3rd floor). Using fabric and clothing remnants, visitors can design their own stuffed creations. Museum educators will be on hand to sew and stick the freshly stuffed works of art together securely.

With New Year’s celebrations imminent, family-day participants can stop by our HAT-LAB to create one of a kind head-wear suitable for the most spectacular parties. Ring in the New Year in style—even your most fashion-forward friends will be envious.

Girls and Boys of all ages are invited to get down at our New Year’s pre-party at the MF.


pARTy LAB 
Art activities for all ages
Friday, December 30th 
11am-4pm
Free with museum admission

Liz
POSTED BY LIZ

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Friday, December 16, 2011

It's no secret. It's no lie. We love our artists.

One of the greatest things about working at the MF is hanging with all of the amazing artists from around the world. For our current show, Factory Installed, we all had the opportunity to spend time with the amazing Mariana Manhães.

Mariana joined us all the way from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, but we all felt like we knew her well before she got here. She was so pumped to install a brand new work at the MF that she blogged about the whole process before she ever set foot on MF soil.

From here to there, Mariana documented sending her materials across continents on her blog
http://marianaatthefactory.wordpress.com/

Hanging with an MF artists isn't always quite what you think it will be. Our artists transport their lives to Pittsburgh and we do our best to make them feel quite at home. We do everything from helping them settle in at our residency housing to taking them to the grocery store.

 

But enough about grocery stores, let's look at the art. Check out this brand-spanking new video of Mariana speaking about the work she created for our show Factory Installed, Thesethose:




Thursday, December 8, 2011

Quirky Gifts from your Favorite Quirky Museum


Hello friends, MF Sam here. It’s that time of year again… [cue snowflakes] time to drink hot chocolate, unpack your toasty mittens and wrap goodies up in brown paper packages tied up with string.  Here at the MF Shop, we’ve been decking the halls with the traditional holiday moose and technicolor tree. We’ve also gathered tons of items to bring holiday cheer!

First off, stocking stuffers. We’ve got mechanical wind ups (top left), cheeky recycled cuffs (top center), handmade keychain creatures (top right), an awesome selection of ornaments (bottom left), stack-able tops (bottom center) as well as the gift that keeps on giving: bamboo toothbrushes (bottom right)!

We also have a seriously great selection of gifts, here are some of my favorites:

Queen Bee handbags (top left), organic animal pillows (top center), odd-ball shirts (top right), fish leather earrings (middle left), contemporary art books (middle center), retro inspired clocks (middle right), artist designed plates (bottom left), pinhole cameras (bottom center), and yours truly wearing thread bundle necklaces.

If you still have some holiday shopping to do (I know I do) then come check out the Mattress Factory shop (either here at the museum or online)!* Better yet, bring the whole family to check out the Factory Installed show, and while your loved ones are experiencing the Turrell floor, come scoop them up a great gift. For all you bargain hunters, we will have a sale table set up throughout December.

I hope everyone has a safe and lovely holiday season, as well as a fabulous new year!

                                                                                                        – Sam

*Don't forget, a portion of every purchase you make in the MF Shop supports our exhibition and education programs. Feel good shopping.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Good Gravy, It's Family Day!

As usual the Mattress Factory will be hosting its yearly Black Friday Family Day on November 25th from 11am-4pm (the day after Thanksgiving)! Avoid the shopping crowds and enjoy not one, but TWO fantastic exhibitions in our galleries and hands-on art activities for the whole family in our lobby. 


We are especially excited this year that visitors can experience artists’ work from (literally) all over the world. Sites of Passage, an exhibit on contemporary Egyptian life and art—from the perspectives of American and Egyptian artists—can be found in our annex building.  Special guest, Sites of Passage Curator, Tavia La Follette will give a guided tour of the exhibit at 1pm (first come, first serve—space is limited).  At 2pm, Gary HuckFirefly Tunnel participant and political cartoonist—will host a drop-in collage-cartooning workshop until 4pm in the museum’s lobby. All ages and types are welcome! 

 Join Gary Huck for his drop-in
collage-cartooning workshop on 11/25/11!

Visitors can also take in the museum’s newest exhibition, Factory Installed--brand new site-specific installations by 5 artists (from 5 different countries) in our galleries at 500 Sampsonia Way. Join us all day for a lobby activity based on Pablo Valbuena’s mind-bending installation, Para-Site [mattress factory].

Pablo Valbuena standing in front of his installation, Para-Site [mattress factory]
Also in our lobby will be our newest education project, Tamatebako. Created by Japanese artist Yumi Kori, Tamatebako is a portable, fabric room for experiencing space. See it at the MF before it is lent to the Children’s Museum for the entire month of December.

 MF Shannon (right) and I (left) try out Tamatebako

Of course as always, discover (or perhaps revisit) our noteworthy permanent collection works in both buildings, grab a bite to eat in our café, and indulge in a bit of holiday shopping in our unique museum store.

Hope to see you all there!


PS: I heard a rumor that there MAY be a complimentary hot chocolate bar and stamp-your-own holiday wrap station as well…. Just sayin'!

Mattress Factory Education and Outreach programs are supported by the Allegheny Regional Assets District, Milton and Sally Avery Art Foundation, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, The Jack Buncher Foundation, the Grable Foundation, Institute for Museum and Library Services, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, PNC Charitable Trusts, and the Surdna Foundation.

Liz POSTED BY LIZ
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

516 Sampsonia Way is underway!

We hope you'll join us this Thursday, November 10th at 10am for a groundbreaking celebration of our newest exhibition space – 516 Sampsonia!
516 Sampsonia with the main galleries at 500 Sampsonia in the background

The Mattress Factory is currently renovating an 1890 Victorian-era row house and vacant lot located at 516 & 518 Sampsonia Way. By the end of summer, we'll will have an additional 2,500 square feet of space for more exhibitions and programs.

"It really does give us a much more flexible schedule so that there should be always something interesting to see. We love the fabric of this neighborhood. We love the idea of keeping this old building, not tearing it down, not building something that would be more appropriate."

                             -Michael Olijnyk, Co-Director, as quoted by William Loeffler, Tribune-Review


Watch the retrofitting progress here:



Groundbreaking Celebration
Thursday, November 10, 2011
10am
Coffee and pastries will be available
Free and open to everyone


Lindsay POSTED BY LINDSAY
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

It was such a RAD day

This past Sunday the MF joined it's fellow Pittsburgh institutions and opened up it's doors to the public for free as part of RADical Days.

Our little museum was packed full of friendly faces (more than 600 of 'em!) and we couldn't have loved it more.

Dotted boxes were everywhere as visitors took part in an ARTLab activity based on "Sites of Passage" artist Mostafa Sleem's piece Mind Area "Sound of the Sound."


Local artist and MF friend Rose Clancy brought her group exhibition Your Place at the Banquet to the 4th floor of the museum in the form of delicious soup and Kevin Clancy's awesome mobile food stations.

Folks braved the rain and made their way down the block to our satellite space at 1414 Monterey to check out our latest exhibition "Sites of Passage."

As everyone's faces could tell you, it was a pretty rad day.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

New BoxSpring Café Hours!


 We are happy to let you know that the BoxSpring Café is now open every day the Museum is open! 
Tuesday - Saturday 11am-4pm and now Sunday 1-4pm!

MF Lynn is ready to tempt you with delicious treats. 
And fruit. But who wants fruit when there are treats around?

The Sunday menu: