Randyland facts for kids
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| Established | 1995 |
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| Location | 1501 Arch Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212 |
| Visitors | 100,000+ (2017) |
| Founder | Randy Gilson |
Randyland is an art museum located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is widely regarded as one of America's most colorful public art landmarks. The museum was created by Randy Gilson and is dedicated to his therapy which involves painting and taking care of the grounds at Randyland. Some people consider his paintings to be outsider art.
Randyland has played an important role in the cultural rejuvenation of Pittsburgh with its neighbors City of Asylum and Mattress Factory. Randy Gilson's creation has received international attention through viral listicles. It now counts itself among the most photographed places on Instagram. Admission is free.
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 planting over 800 street gardens and 50 vegetable gardens. His guerrilla gardening spans otherwise vacant lots across Manchester, 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 likes dumpster diving and upcycling 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. Upon hearing the news Randyland fans raised over $20,000 to send Randy and Mac on their first vacation ever. The couple visited the Grand Canyon and Hollywood. Afterwards, Gilson stated plans to retire from his restaurant job so he could be a full time artist and spend time with Mac. Following the announcement Foo Conner joined Randyland as co-director.
David Paul Francis "Mac" McDermott died on January 10, 2019. Randy spent the next year maintaining Randyland without Mac for the first time in his life. After 3 years of co-directing Randyland, Foo went on to another project. Shortly after Foo left Randy and Mac's cat was killed by a dog in the neighborhood. With the house all quiet with no one to bother him, Randy set out to revitalize Randyland. Since then he has repainted the sides of the building and reimagined the layout and art installations inside of Randyland. He has created an online store, redesigned the Randyland website, and is currently working on getting a virtual tour filmed once his new vision of Randyland is complete.
Exhibits
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The Courtyard of Randyland
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Outside Celebration Mural
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Randyland Welcome Wall
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Randyland Mirror Wall
