What is the MINE FACTORY COLLECTIVE?
The MINE FACTORY COLLECTIVE is the establishment of an artist and designer run collective located in the Homewood/North Point Breeze area.
What is its mission?
- to promote artists and designers and provide an alternative to the gallery format .
- promote and encourage the current and future trends and push thoughtful and artful collaborations to the main stage.
- promote the Homewood/North Point Breeze area as well as the greater Pittsburgh region as a supportive place for creative and artistic practice.
- operate the 4000 sq foot gallery and showroom space out of the 201 North Braddock facility. Engage and collaborate with artists, designers, filmmakers both in and outside of Pittsburgh to support diverse exhibitions and events.
-As an artist/designer run space we will not only support exhibitions but also strive to incorporate the often overlooked independent designers and artisans working in the region creating furniture, lighting, objects, and interiors. There is no other artist/designer run gallery space of this size that is available in Pittsburgh which adds to the uniqueness of such a venue.
THE BUILDING - 201 North Braddock Avenue
The building we have chosen for our personal studio space and to house our collective and gallery is a former mine safety equipment factory. It sits right on the border of the Homewood and North Point Breeze neighborhoods. This area was once home to many diverse small businesses and the economy here was strong. Through the years, businesses began pulling out of this area rather than reinvesting. But there is reason to be optimistic - today the facility is a great example of the creative entrepreneurs, individual artists, and designers in the Pittsburgh Region. We believe this building and its tenants are a vital piece in the transformative process of the North Point Breeze/Homewood area as well as the city of Pittsburgh.
The gallery and showroom space of the collective is a 4000 square foot loft style space with great old warehouse windows and a huge access door making it ideal for a variety of work, especially large scale sculpture and installation. There is a loading dock making it easy to bring in work of all sizes. It is located on the ground floor of the building, directly across the street from the East End food co-op.
What’s happening?
Currently, the majority of tenants in the 201 building are either individual artists or working in an arts or design field. As an introduction to the collective, the gallery space, and the many individuals working in the building we are planning a debut opening and exhibition in spring of 2013. The debut show will introduce the building to Pittsburgh residents as well as bring the tenants together to exchange ideas and to foster a sense of community, cooperation and inspiration.
Isn't this a great idea?
We think so, but we need the backing of people like you! The space needs lighting and, well, as much as we love chartreuse, it needs a good paint job. We'd love to see a video screen in the far end of the space and a good hanging system for art. Funding will help us get the space in order so that we may launch the gallery and showroom the right way and help us establish the space as an alternative venue for artists and designers to promote their work and encourage collaborative projects.
Funds raised will be used for paint {not chartreuse}, lighting, a video screen, and a hanging system.
Overfunding? Not a problem.
The more support we get the more we can do to enhance the space!
Here is our wish list: temporary walls, flooring, stacking chairs, signage, video equipment...the list goes on...
Rewards include prints of the following images by Mia Tarducci Henry
Risks and challenges
The biggest challenge for the COLLECTIVE will be meeting time-line objectives. We can start installing lighting and putting paint on the walls in February. However, if we're going to make our May launch, we need to finish with enough time to install the artists’ work we plan to showcase at the Opening and during the run of the show. While unforeseen obstacles may arise, we are confident that our friends and family will support the work of getting the job done! Many hands make light work!
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Funding period
- (24 days)