To put it simply, the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh is a contemporary art museum, but really it is so much more than just that. The museum strives to support and work with living artists who have big ideas – ideas that at first might not seem possible to achieve. As a visitor to the Mattress Factory, you will wonder how some of its art came to exist – both as an idea, and in reality.
Wikimedia Commons The museum specializes mainly in installation art, which means that most artworks take up the space of at least one entire room. You can find the Mattress Factory on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, in the historic Mexican War Streets, at 500 Sampsonia Way.The museum is called The Mattress Factory because before it became an art museum in 1977, the building was a Stearns & Foster mattress warehouse. Today, it is a truly unique institution in the art world because it commissions artists to create site-specific artworks, some of which are kept as permanent exhibitions.
Mattress Factory - Museum of Contemporary Art/ Facebook Perhaps the Mattress Factory’s most famous piece is Yayoi Kusama’s 1996, “Infinity Dots Mirrored Room.” You must take your shoes off before entering this whimsical room, reminiscent of carnival fun-houses and spooky dreams. Your reflection will appear to extend endlessly in all directions, and if you’re wearing any white, you’ll see it glow in the black light.
Mattress Factory - Museum of Contemporary Art/ Facebook Once you walk through the first mirrored room, you emerge into the second and final room in Kusama’s exhibit. Brightly lit, unlike the first room, this one will still give you the illusion of an infinite, dotted hall– this one with creepy mannequins replicating in every direction.
Mattress Factory - Museum of Contemporary Art/ Facebook Kusama’s exhibit is one of the permanent works on display, but the Mattress Factory constantly has rotating exhibits. Last year, you could see the “Artists in Residence” which displayed work by five local artists. This one was a miniature city, created by Ryder Henry.
Mattress Factory - Museum of Contemporary Art/ Facebook One of the newer works on display is “The Ghost Train” by Marnie Weber.
Jon Cassie/ Flickr One of the most unsettling pieces on display is Greer Lankton’s 2009 “It’s all about ME, Not You,” which is an autobiographical piece in which she recreated her apartment in Chicago. The numerous dolls and sickly imagery will stick with you.
Jen Leonard/ Flickr The Mattress Factory also has a fabulous relationship with the American artist James Turrell, and has three of his pieces on permanent display, including the one pictured above, his 1967 “Catso, Red.” Turrell experiments with light and space, and his artworks often function as optical illusions. The Mattress Factory just recently announced an upcoming Turrell piece that the artist has generously donated, titled “Skyspace.”
My favorite piece of art at the Mattress Factory takes up almost the entire building adjacent to the rest of the museum. Chiharu Shiota’s “Trace of Memory” explores ideas of memories by taking every-day objects like books, chairs, and a wedding dress, and encasing them, along with an entire house, in a massive web of yarn. The installation is hauntingly beautiful to walk through; and it’s only on view until May 29, 2016.
Wikimedia Commons
The museum specializes mainly in installation art, which means that most artworks take up the space of at least one entire room. You can find the Mattress Factory on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, in the historic Mexican War Streets, at 500 Sampsonia Way.The museum is called The Mattress Factory because before it became an art museum in 1977, the building was a Stearns & Foster mattress warehouse. Today, it is a truly unique institution in the art world because it commissions artists to create site-specific artworks, some of which are kept as permanent exhibitions.
Mattress Factory - Museum of Contemporary Art/ Facebook
Perhaps the Mattress Factory’s most famous piece is Yayoi Kusama’s 1996, “Infinity Dots Mirrored Room.” You must take your shoes off before entering this whimsical room, reminiscent of carnival fun-houses and spooky dreams. Your reflection will appear to extend endlessly in all directions, and if you’re wearing any white, you’ll see it glow in the black light.
Once you walk through the first mirrored room, you emerge into the second and final room in Kusama’s exhibit. Brightly lit, unlike the first room, this one will still give you the illusion of an infinite, dotted hall– this one with creepy mannequins replicating in every direction.
Kusama’s exhibit is one of the permanent works on display, but the Mattress Factory constantly has rotating exhibits. Last year, you could see the “Artists in Residence” which displayed work by five local artists. This one was a miniature city, created by Ryder Henry.
One of the newer works on display is “The Ghost Train” by Marnie Weber.
Jon Cassie/ Flickr
One of the most unsettling pieces on display is Greer Lankton’s 2009 “It’s all about ME, Not You,” which is an autobiographical piece in which she recreated her apartment in Chicago. The numerous dolls and sickly imagery will stick with you.
Jen Leonard/ Flickr
The Mattress Factory also has a fabulous relationship with the American artist James Turrell, and has three of his pieces on permanent display, including the one pictured above, his 1967 “Catso, Red.” Turrell experiments with light and space, and his artworks often function as optical illusions. The Mattress Factory just recently announced an upcoming Turrell piece that the artist has generously donated, titled “Skyspace.”
Even if you’re not a fan of modern art, the Mattress Factory has plenty of exhibitions that are simply fun to experience – the immersive, often interactive environment is unlike any other place you’ll ever visit. Have you ever been here?
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