factory girl.

I went to school in Pittsburgh for a couple years after high school. There were only a handful of good things that came out of the time I spend there. First, a few wonderful friends. (#1@PPCshh!) Second, hot pretzels and my insane DDR skills. And third, The Andy Warhol Museum. (Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, and The Warhol is the nation's largest single-artist museum.)


Anytime I felt lonely, or bored, or lost, I walked across the bridge to The Warhol. I would spend a few hours pouring over the rotating exhibits and films, and the permanent collection (that I had seen dozens of times before). It is so much more than self-portraits and Campbell's Soup cans.


I love the "Silver Clouds" installation, and think about it often. I always tried to go on a slow day, mid-week, so I could stand quietly alone in the room and think about where I wanted to go next. Ultimately, these clouds led me to Chicago.

On the weekends, the basement of the museum turns into a Warhol workshop, where you can create your own silk screen pop-art. And now you can click here to create your own online version.



If you ever find yourself at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers, I wholeheartedly suggest a visit. (I also learned the words "confluence", "Allegheny" and "Monongahela".)