PennWest, Mattress Factory to host regional arts festival

It will take place Wednesday on the California campus.

PennWest California, in a partnership with Pittsburgh’s Mattress Factory Contemporary Art Museum, will host the Southwestern Pennsylvania Art Bash.

The free event, open to all ages, will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday on the California campus and feature hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, alumni meet-and-greets, art exhibitions, local vendors, live music and an afterparty designed to connect artists, students and community members from across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“This event is about creating opportunities for people to experience art in an accessible, interactive and community-centered way,” said Melissa Kuntz, assistant chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Art has the power to bring people together, spark new ideas and strengthen communities. We’re proud to open our campus to artists, makers, students and families for a day that celebrates imagination in all its forms.”

According to PennWest, the event will feature 17 participating vendors representing various creative disciplines, including ceramics, photography, printmaking and sculpture, along with food vendors. Artists and makers from Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties are expected to participate.

The arts festival will also feature artwork from students in school districts throughout the region.

Attendees can participate in activities such as screen printing, blacksmithing, mosaics, puppet making, blackout poetry, stage combat, beadwork, and metal enameling. PennWest said all workshop materials will be provided free of charge.

“The Art Bash is intended to celebrate all forms of creative expression while strengthening connections among artists, educators, students and the broader community,” PennWest stated in a press release.

PennWest noted that the SWPA Art Bash builds on the success of PennWest California’s 2025 Open Studios event, expanding the university’s community arts programming through its new partnership with the Mattress Factory and support from the EQT Foundation.

Last year, the university received a grant from EQT to expand the arts festival in 2026. This year’s event is also aimed at helping art students build their skills in networking and community engagement.

“Partnering with PennWest on the Community Arts Festival allows us to extend Mattress Factory’s mission beyond our museum walls,” Mattress Factory’s director of education and community engagement, Laurie Barnes, said last year. “By treating the SWPA Art Bash as a hands-on learning experience, students gain both creative and professional skills.

“They’re not just preparing for careers in the arts, they’re learning how to build community through art.”