Randyland is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily con ...

located in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It is widely regarded as one of

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

's most colorful

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acces ...

landmarks. Randy Gilson is the creator of this

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that Preservation (library and archival science), cares for and displays a collection (artwork), collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, culture, cultu ...

, which dedicates to his

outsider art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates ...

. Randyland has played an important role in the cultural rejuvenation of Pittsburgh with its neighbors

City of Asylum City of Asylum (more formally City of Asylum/Pittsburgh) is a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that houses writers exiled from their countries for their controversial writing. It provides them with free housing, health c ...

and

Mattress Factory The Mattress Factory is a contemporary art museum located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was a pioneer of site-specific installation art and features permanent installations by artists Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell, and Greer Lankton. The muse ...

. Randyland has received international attention through viral

listicle In journalism and blogging, a listicle is an article that is structured as a list, which is often fleshed out with additional text relating to each item. A typical listicle will prominently feature a cardinal number in its title, with subsequent ...

s. It is among the most photographed places on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

History

Randy Gilson was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania. Early in life he suffered from homelessness and poverty. He moved to Pittsburgh's Northside in 1982, where he was a community

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range f ...

planting over 800 street gardens and 50 vegetable gardens. His guerrilla gardening spans otherwise vacant lots across

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

, the Mexican War Streets, and surrounding neighborhoods. The property that would become Randyland was purchased on a credit card for $10,000 in 1995. Gilson uses

dumpster diving Dumpster diving (also totting, skipping, skip diving or skip salvage) is salvaging from large commercial, residential, industrial and construction containers for unused items discarded by their owners but deemed useful to the picker. It is n ...

and

upcycling Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value ...

to fill his home with colorful oddities that include pink flamingos, mannequins, and plastic dinosaurs. The houses and fences are adorned with murals depicting neighbors dancing and smiling. In late 2016, Gilson's partner Mac McDermott was diagnosed with terminal

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

. Upon hearing the news, Randyland fans raised over $20,000 and sent Randy and Mac on their first vacation. The couple visited the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a ...

and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. Afterwards, Gilson retired from his restaurant job to spend more time with the ailing McDermott. Following the announcement, Foo Conner joined Randyland as co-director. The neighborhood around the museum experienced explosive growth in 2016-2019. Randyland itself reportedly doubled in attendance. The courtyard was completely overhauled to accommodate the traffic. Under Conner's curation, the facility embraced being a Selfie Museum as a vibrant backdrop for photos. David Paul Francis "Mac" McDermott died on January 10, 2019. As Gilson's partner, he was posthumously given the title of co-founder. Journalists noted that McDermott may have downplayed his role when alive but was a backbone of the museum. Later that year, Randyland received the Mayor's Award for Public Art for 2019. Conner left the museum early 2020. Because it is outdoors, Randyland was one of the only art museums opened in Pennsylvania during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Gilson came out of retirement. The Courtyard was changed to a socially distanced playground throughout quarantine. Many of the original murals have been painted over. As of 2022, Randyland is still free and popular tourist attraction.

Exhibits

File:Randyland Courtyard.jpg, File:Randyland Outside Fence Mural.jpg, File:Randyland Welcome Wall.jpg, File:Randyland Mirror Wall.jpg, File:Randyland outdoor living room.jpg, alt=Portrait photo showing outdoor living room exhibit at Randyland. The photo shows outdoor furniture with coffee table, old phones, old TV set., Outdoor Living Room

In popular culture

* The documentary ''The Spirit of Pittsburgh'' features Randy Gilson's gardening alongside

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television s ...

. * The documentary ''Pursuing Happiness'' features Randy Gilson as one of the happiest people in America. * When a blizzard postponed

Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, a ...

's Pittsburgh concert, they instead recorded a viral music video in the alleyway near Randyland. * Randy Gilson succeeded

Rick Sebak Richard "Rick" Sebak (born June 5, 1953) is an American public broadcasting television producer, writer and narrator who lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. Early life and education Richard Sebak was born on Jun ...

as the Mardi Gras King of Pittsburgh. * A teenager's "Summer Bucket List 2017", which included Randyland as a place to visit, went viral. * '' Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown'' calls Randyland an essential for the "Perfect Day in Pittsburgh".

Awards

*Mayor's Award for Public Art 2019

References

External links

* {{authority control Art museums and galleries in Pennsylvania Art museums established in 1995 Houses in Pittsburgh Modern art museums in the United States Museums devoted to one artist Museums in Pittsburgh Outsider art Visionary environments Tourist attractions in Pittsburgh