Join Mattress Factory in our Main Building lobby for the finished screening of Isla Hansen’s Mister Rogers-inspired show, How to Get to Make Believe.

Free for members. $10 for non-members. 

Isla Hansen’s exhibition, How to Get to Make Believe, shares its name with the television show she has been filming on-site throughout the exhibition. We invite you to join us for the first public viewing of the show, hosted by the beloved puppet of Make Believe, Ratlet T. Pesquinche! The show includes interviews with artists and takes viewers into the world of "make believe," where the puppets come to life to delve deeper into the themes introduced in Ratlet’s interviews. 

About the Host:  

Ratlet T. Pesquinche, also known mononymously as Ratlet, is a talk show host, media producer, and art collector. She is best known for her talk show and youtube channel, Ratlet’s Tomorrow Today, filmed inside of the television show and exhibition, How to Get to Make Believe, by artist Isla Hansen at the Mattress Factory museum’s Monterey building. Dubbed the Rodent Queen of Reality, Ratlet is the world’s only part-rat part-pig puppet patron of the arts. Influenced by luminaries in her fields, such as LeVar Burton, Terry Gross, Oprah Winfrey, Fred Rogers, Kermit The Frog, Barbara Luderowski, and the Vogels, Ratlet’s Tomorrow Today show sparks conversations with human artists, writers, makers, technologists, and neighbors to talk making play, making art, and making believe. 

About the Exhibition: 

Artist and educator Isla Hansen’s solo exhibition, How to Get to Make Believe, draws inspiration from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to explore themes of community, cultural history, and imagination. Using textiles, performance, design, and new media, Hansen creates a playful yet complex environment resembling a hybrid of a domestic space and television studio. Her work pays homage to Fred Rogers’ legacy, blending fantasy with thoughtful experimentation. During the exhibition, Hansen will activate the space through live studio work and collaborative “episodes” addressing social and artistic topics, inviting visitors to engage with the exhibition in a way reminiscent of Rogers’ educational approach.