Mattress Factory
Mattress Factory
4
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The Mattress Factory is a museum and experimental lab for living artists. Located in Pittsburgh's historic Northside, just minutes from Downtown Pittsburgh, we host artists from around the world and around the corner as they create site-specific installation art. Provocative and immersive, the Mattress Factory is home to art you can get into. In addition to revolving installations created by artists-in-residence, you can explore permanent installations by Greer Lankton, James Turrell, Winifred Lutz, Yayoi Kusama and more.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
295 reviews
Excellent
135
Very good
81
Average
36
Poor
24
Terrible
19
JarJarBinks
2 contributions
Jan 2020
Avant-Garde. Museum took 45 minutes to slam through, cost us us 20 bucks each. Top floor was an apartment of some Persian dude. We felt like the apartment wasn't so much "artistic" as it was "house-hunters on HGTV". There were some instagram girls posing on every floor, which made some of the exhibits a bit more engaging. Popped down to the third floor (receptionist told us to, "start at the top and make our way down to the gift shop"). Third floor was a little stronger, had some thought-provoking elements. But at the same time, some contemporary art is cheap trash. You can't even tell it's art. Not to discredit some people with whom the work really resonated. Anyway, the second was really dark. Hard to take pictures. Good thing we had phone lights! Although the translucent purple screen did have some "stargaze." Then we went down to the basement. The basement was good. Not great. Finally we went to the gift shop. Not much to see here, pretty much your standard gift shop. Cafe was closed. As we exited, we saw the overgrown foundations of a building that used to be next to the museum. It seems to us that the museum took advantage of this naturally beautiful area and just slapped down a chair next to it. They took ownership of something beautiful that was already there. Terrible, terrible, terrible.
Written 25 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anamda
1 contribution
May 2024 • Friends
Wow. Believe the one star reviews. The decrepit outdated “art” left my mouth open in a BAD way. The fact that this place is pulling in 22$ a person; takes about 20 mins to see after navigating the map and one whole exhibit is a collapsing house, says enough. I could not be anymore dissatisfied, I bought a sticker and kept my pin so I could always remember and tell people about the time I visited she worst art installation on the east coast.
Written 8 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave C
Alexandria, VA1,591 contributions
Jul 2023
I just didn't like this and I usually like installation art. It just wasn't well executed, by and large. The room with dots was fun but the rest was too dark, or just not well done (the fudge kitchen). Admission is a whopping $20 per head for a place that's rather small. Go to the Frick or Carnegie.
Written 6 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RonL40
Utica, NY3,592 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We've visited museums of contemporary art in northwest Massachusetts (Mass MOCA), in Amsterdam (MOCA), in Boston, at DIA Beacon, New York and in other places. For those who reviewed the Mattress Factory negatively, you have to understand that the purpose of the Factory and many other contemporary art museums is to offer a space for artists to explore big projects. We LOVED the Yayoi Kusama rooms -- would have gone to the Mattress Factory just for those two installations. The Garden is a beautiful thing, as is Handrail, as is the Sarah Oppenheimer piece. Other pieces, not so much. But that happens in every museum that you visit. Accept and enjoy what touches you; don't complain about what touches the emotions or intellect of someone else. It's art. You get to decide. But the truth certainly is that at the Mattress Factory, the options are tremendously wide. Great museum.
Written 25 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
randy511rk
Philadelphia, PA3 contributions
Mar 2022
This is art that makes you feel more than you see. It's one thing to look at something and think about it. It's another to have emotions before thought. The physical aspects of some of these rooms are offsetting and uncomfortable, and that is exactly what makes it unique.
I would describe it as a funhouse art museum, surprising but scary at times.
I would describe it as a funhouse art museum, surprising but scary at times.
Written 25 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wawa
Scotia, NY35 contributions
Apr 2021
Had no idea on what to expect, to be honest I stumbled on it when another event fell through. It is spread out through three buildings which was a little confusing. However I was pleasantly surprised. While very bizarre, its uniqueness was quite enjoyable.
Written 17 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann
Hopewell Junction, NY9 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
This was a very fun experience. All the exhibits we visited were very interesting and fun to look at. The main building was full of the best exhibits. One building was shut down so only two buildings were available. Overall a great time, highly recommend.
Written 18 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elizabeth M
18 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Unless you are 100% woke, do not visit this museum. It starts in a literal hoarder house where you climb through piles of trash, and ends in a dark room where you can not see a thing. I want my money back. The current rating on Trip Adviser is deceivingly high. Skip this place unless you’re an art major or just high.
Written 18 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandi T.
Pittsburgh, PA230 contributions
Feb 2022
A museum of nothingness...Such a disappointment. They were in the middle of changing displays and there was barely anything to see. They gave us free tickets to return, but I don't think I want to. The displays left are indeed experimental, a collection of discarded, broken items meant to relate a message I could not quite understand. And I am an artist. Not even abstract, not even eclectic, a hodgepodge. Most of the buildings are in dark, with steps and old flooring- you cannot even see where you step. Money thrown out the window. I thought Pittsburgh could do better.
Written 6 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Savannah
Warren, OH27 contributions
While all of the other galleries and museums that I have been to in the City of Pittsburgh have been wonderful, The Mattress Factory was nothing short of horrifying. From beginning to end it was ridiculous, and one of the worst galleries I have ever visited. The "installation art" was almost laughable. An example, one "exhibit" was simply two terra cotta pots filled with dry dirt, sitting against a wall. Oh, and not to be forgotten was the exhibit where you sat in a chair in the pitch black for fifteen minutes (no lie), with no AC, until the art appeared before you, which turned out to be a round white circle of light on a wall. I am not kidding. I consider myself a very open minded progressive person, but this place was nothing short of a joke. Save the $10 admission fee and flush it down the toilet at least then you'll just have wasted money and not time and money. Or better yet, give it to one of the other worthwhile attractions in the city, such as The Andy Warhol Museum. I am telling everyone I know, The Mattress Factory is a NO GO!
Written 19 July 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Connie226
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
There seem to be multiple floors in each building. Are there elevators or must you climb stairs?
Written 6 May 2018
How much time do you need to see all three buildings,
Written 1 August 2016
You can do it in less if you fly through, but to see and enjoy everything I'd recommend 2-3 hours. Most of that will be in the main building.
Written 2 August 2016
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