Mattress Factory names Pittsburgh curator as new executive director

Following a five-month, nationwide search, the Mattress Factory found its next executive director close to home.

David Oresick, the current executive director and chief curator of Silver Eye Center for Photography, will begin his new role May 16 at the contemporary installation art museum in Pittsburgh’s North Side.

”David exemplified everything we sought to lead the Museum in its next chapter: a talented and experienced arts leader and visionary, with a strong national and local reputation and demonstrated excellence with supporting artists and organizational growth,” said Sherry DuCarme, chair of the museum board.

Executive Director Hayley Haldeman anticipates stepping down from the Mattress Factory at the end of May, following a two-week transition period. She is due with her second child in June.

A Pittsburgh native, Oresick said, “The Mattress Factory is a place that has always meant so much to me and was a huge part of forming my love for boundary-pushing contemporary art from an early age. I’m excited to lead the museum and its mission of centering and supporting artists who are working to create something new, bold and experimental.

“My goal is to continue the work of growing the museum’s community, creating engaging and thoughtful conversations, and inspiring audiences with the history, present and future of installation art,” he added.

Oresick has served as executive director at Silver Eye since 2014. During his tenure, he developed and implemented a major strategic plan and capital campaign to build out and relocate the institution from its prior location in Pittsburgh’s South Side to its new location in the Penn Avenue Arts District.

Under Oresick’s leadership, Silver Eye tripled program attendance. He also created new programs and revenue streams, led a board governance revitalization and co-created the Silver List, a list of contemporary artists whose work deserves attention, highlighting diverse voices in photography.

At Silver Eye, Oresick curated more than 20 gallery exhibitions, with a focus on supporting emerging and mid-career artists.

“He is a proven leader in the arts and a skilled visionary, with a strong drive to support our artists and work,” Haldeman said. “He is the perfect individual to lead the Mattress Factory through its next chapter, particularly as the Museum emerges out of covid-19.”

Oresick is a co-founder of The Visual Arts Coalition for Equity, a group of arts organizations that worked collectively to create a paid training program that assists aspiring arts leaders in creating equitable and sustainable practices within their communities.

He holds a master of fine arts degree from Columbia College Chicago and a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is an adjunct instructor at Carnegie Mellon University.

Prior to his role at Silver Eye, Oresick was manager of Light Work at Syracuse University, where he oversaw an artist-in-residence program, and was a curatorial assistant at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.

“In my career, my passion has always been working to help artists create new artwork and sharing that artwork in meaningful and engaging ways,” Oresick said.