A lot of people might feel as though they live at work, but Tom Sarver really does.

Plus, his workplace is named after him.

The Tom Museum opened this month in a townhouse on the North Side. It's been years in the making, said Mr. Sarver, 31, a native of Cranberry and graduate of Temple University's school of art.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Cranberry native Tom Sarver's museum is open for a until April on Sampsonia Way on Pittsburgh's North Side just three doors down from The Mattress Factory. He has painted the exterior with a mural of his vision of Pittsburgh. Click photo for larger image.

"I was looking for a way to showcase my painting, sculpture, puppets and my other forms of art like my cooking and my gardening. Even my fishing," he said.

He approached the operators of the Mattress Factory, an art museum on the North Side, with the idea.

"I thought they would think I was crazy," he said. But they liked the idea and collaborated with him to find funding.

With a $38,000 award from the Heinz Endowments, the Tom Museum became a reality. It will remain open until April.

In the museum, every room but Mr. Sarver's bedroom and bathroom are open to the public. That means, if he is cooking lunch while visitors are there, they see him cooking. If he is painting, they see him paint.

"It is a bit different. My actual living is a type of art, a type of performance. They interact with me, with the art," he said.

The arrangement took some getting used to, he said. "I find myself having to tidy up a bit before we open."

Before moving into the museum, he worked full time managing an art supply and framing store.

"I was selling my paintings in a couple of galleries, but this move and grant allowed me to make the leap to become a self-sustaining artist," he said.

Mr. Sarver also is director of Pittsburgh's Black Sheep Puppet Festival and visitors are invited to play with the puppets while at the museum.

He performs at places around the country. "I've been performing a lot of different shows over the last eight years. I have a puppet group, and we usually perform with two to eight people," he said.

He plans to interview visitors on video camera for yet another form of art. "I want to ask them how they like [the museum] and get their feedback," he said.

The art extends to the outside of the townhouse, where Mr. Sarver spent three weeks painting a mural. "I painted a two-sided mural of the city of Pittsburgh," he said.

He also does contemporary work. "I am inspired by what I encounter in daily life, current events, what is in the news. I use oil, acrylics, pretty much everything," he said.

Mr. Sarver is creating souvenirs for visitors to buy during their visits.

"I had made knickknacks to hand out at the grand opening and folks seemed to really like them," he said. Several works of art on display in the museum are for sale.

As for his unusual lifestyle, Mr. Sarver said, "Some people think it is a little bit strange, but most are pretty excited about it."

The Tom Museum, 410 Sampsonia Way, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free with admission to the Mattress Factory. For information, visit www.tommuseum.com.