Ever since I moved to the city, I've been wanting to check out the Mattress Factory. This past weekend I finally did, and I'm already really looking forward to going back!
The Mattress Factory is a contemporary art museum spread out over three different buildings in the North Side. All of the buildings are in walking distance of each other, and I actually quite like this concept of spreading out to a few different buildings. As you move along on the tour, you're able to see some of the beautiful houses in the Mexican War Streets. While my parents and I did get a little lost at first trying to find the entrance/ticket area, we eventually found our way.
We came on a Saturday, so we expected it to be busy. However, we didn't expect to wait almost twenty minutes to buy our tickets in the tiny lobby. The employees were really taking their time, to say the least. We did get a bit impatient, but eventually were able to get our tickets. The museum itself was worth the wait. Some of the art installations are permanent, while others are only present for a short time before being deconstructed and replaced. This means that getting a membership is pretty worth it, because the displays do change over time. This is not the type of museum where you walk through and view paintings; these art pieces are large installations that take up whole rooms. I was especially impressed with Yayoi Kusama's installations - "Infinity Dots Mirrored Room" and "Repetitive Vision." Wow. I love the way most of the installations at the Mattress Factory challenge your ideas of reality. You'll come just to see the art, but leave in very deep thought about what you've just seen.
Overall, the Mattress Factory is a must-see on the museum scene in Pittsburgh. They have installations here that you truly won't see anywhere else, and all of the employees are very helpful and clearly quite knowledgable about the pieces. A must visit!