 The Mattress Factory | |
  Location of the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh | |
| Established | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°27′26″N80°00′44″W / 40.4571477°N 80.012187°W /40.4571477; -80.012187 |
| Visitors | 28,000 (2018)[1] |
| Founder | Barbara Luderowski |
| Director | David Oresick[2] |
| Nearest parking | On site, Street |
| Website | mattress |
TheMattress Factory is acontemporary art museum located inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. It was a pioneer ofsite-specificinstallation art and features permanent installations by artistsYayoi Kusama,[3]James Turrell,[4] andGreer Lankton.[5] The museum's roof itself is alight art installation and part ofPittsburgh's Northside evening skyline.[6][7]
Barbara Luderowski purchased a derelictStearns & Foster mattress warehouse in 1975. The museum achieved non-profit status in 1977.[8] Over the next forty years, Luderowski would attract upcoming installation artists to fill its rooms. The Mattress Factory along with its neighborsCity of Asylum andRandyland are credited with playing a role in Pittsburgh's revitalization.[9]
In 1975, artist and Mattress Factory founderBarbara Luderowski purchased a formerStearns & Foster mattress warehouse at 500 Sampsonia Way in Pittsburgh'sCentral Northside. Originally, she used the warehouse as a space to live, work and build a community of artists and intellectuals. The community grew and in 1977—after two years of hosting art exhibits and a small food co-op—the Mattress Factory was established as a legal non-profit educational and cultural corporation. Its first exhibition of installation art opened five years later on May 8, 1982, and the museum has since grown to be an integral part of the Pittsburgh arts community, known for its artist residency program, educational programming, and unique exhibitions. In 2008 then-Curator of Exhibitions Michael Olijnyk joined Luderowski in leading the museum as co-director.
Over the years the Mattress Factory has acquired more properties for various purposes, including:
In September 2018, a report published in Pittsburgh'sWESA detailed five employees' allegations of sexual misconduct and the mishandling of the situation by the Mattress Factory and its director, Michael Olijnyk.[10] The complaint was filed with the National Labor Relations Board, and in early January 2019, a settlement was reached and the investigation was closed.[11]
As of 2024[update], the Mattress Factory hosts 20 long-term installations.[12] The following is a list:
| Name | Artist | Year |
| Handrail | A Collaboration | 1993 |
| Danaë | James Turrell | 1983 |
| Pleiades | James Turrell | 1983 |
| Ship of Fools: Discovery of Time | Bill Woodrow | 1986 |
| Untitled | Jene Highstein | 1986 |
| Bed Sitting Rooms for an Artist in Residence | Allan Wexler | 1988 |
| Trespass | William Anastasi | 1991 |
| Catso, Red | James Turrell | 1994 |
| Untitled (Calisthenic Series) | William Anastasi | 1997 |
| Music for a Garden | Rolf Julius | 1996 |
| Ash | Rolf Julius | 1991 |
| Red | Rolf Julius | 1996 |
| Acupuncture | Hans Peter Kuhn | 2016 |
| Repetitive Vision | Yayoi Kusama | 1996 |
| Infinity Dots Mirrored Room | Yayoi Kusama | 1996 |
| It's All About ME, Not You | Greer Lankton | 1996 |
| Garden | Winifred Lutz | 1997 |
| 610-3356 | Sarah Oppenheimer | 2008 |
| Unbrella | Vanessa Sica & Chris Kasabach | 2009 |
| Ground | Dove Bradshaw | 1994 |
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