We are two teenage graduates from The Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts employed through YouthWorks at the Mattress Factory, an installation art museum. As a part of the YouthWorks program we have been given the opportunity to work at the Mattress Factory as staff members, for the 2003–2004 school year.
Here at the museum, we document, photograph, interview and observe artists in residence creating installation art.
At the beginning of the year, we were informed that 11 Cuban artists were traveling to the Mattress Factory for the new year exhibition. The Director and Curator of the museum, Barbara Luderowski and Michael Olijnyk, visited Cuba and brought back many pictures that they had taken while on tours. We then decided to create a website about some of the things that interested us about Cuba. We talked about our individual interests and began to do research on them. Then we would each display the things that we learned on the website.
All of our interests include: education, economics, art history, family life, Cuban law, contemporary art, life after Fidel, teens and dating, and performance art. We had an exciting time interviewing people and watching the videos that talked about each other's topics. This website's primary use is to share with others our experience and the feelings of others about Cuba.