The Mattress Factory has pioneered the development of alternative art forms through site-specific installations, video, and performance art. It is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in site-specific, contemporary art and is notorious for pushing the boundaries of both artist and viewer. The unparalleled support that artists receive from the Mattress Factory, while working in residence, often results in the production of extraordinary artwork that propels the artist’s career and significantly impacts the field of contemporary art. Mattress Factory exhibitions present new works by critically-acclaimed regional, national and international artists and the museum’s exhibitions appear in publications like The New York Times, Art in America, Art Asian/Pacific, and the Wall Street Journal, among many others.

The Mattress Factory was founded in 1977, by artists, to support artists working in residence to create site-specific installations. Since then, the museum has presented and commissioned new installation and performance works by more than 750 artists. The museum supports established and emerging artists through a residency program that provides leadership, guidance, resources and opportunities to create artwork that is unconventional, challenging and thought-provoking. The museum’s flexibility and inventiveness allows artists to respond to developments in technology, explore audience interaction, and challenge traditional artistic ideals and practice.

Yayoi Kusama, Repetitive Vision, 1996

Stewart Sherman, Performance, 1983

David Ellis, Fly, 2008

Veronika Rudyeva-Ryazantseva, Under the table, 2022

Bill Woodrow, Ship of Fools: Discovery of Time, 1988

Otis Laubert, Knowing They Are Losing Their Minds, 1995

Diane Samuels, 44 Installations at the Mattress Factory, 1982

Emory Biko, Hell On Earth For A Black Man, 2005