Meow Wolf

Originating in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Meow Wolf was formed in February 2008 as an artist collective by Sean Di Ianni, Matt King, Corvas Brinkerhoff, Emily Montoya, Caity Kennedy, Benji Geary, and Vince Kadlubek, "a community of punk, quirky, artistic pals"{{Cite web |last=world |first=STIR |title=Matt King, co-founder of immersive art collective Meow Wolf, passes away |url=https://www.stirworld.com/see-news-matt-king-co-founder-of-immersive-art-collective-meow-wolf-passes-away |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=www.stirworld.com |language=English}} hoping to supply Santa Fe with an alternative art and music venue.{{cite web |title=About |url=http://meowwolf.com/about |work=Meow Wolf|access-date=29 November 2013}}{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Katie |date=2024-10-25 |title=Immersive attractions - Corvas Brinkerhoff {{!}} attractionsmanagement.com |url=https://www.attractionsmanagement.com/Attractions-Management-magazine/Immersive-attractions-Corvas-Brinkerhoff/37388 |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Attractions Management |pages=68–73}} Having documented much of its own early visual history, Meow Wolf produced a documentary film about its own genesis, entitled Meow Wolf: Origin Story, which was released in 2018.{{Cite web |last=Schuckman |first=Amanda |date=2018-03-13 |title='Meow Wolf: Origin Story' (Film Review) |url=https://noproscenium.com/meow-wolf-origin-story-film-review-d622ff5a46ee |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Medium |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Davidson |first=Douglas |date=2018-11-27 |title="Meow Wolf: Origin Story" documents the first 10 years of Santa Fe art collective Meow Wolf's incredible journey. |url=https://elementsofmadness.com/2018/11/27/meow-wolf-origin-story/ |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Elements of Madness |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf: Origin Story {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/meow_wolf_origin_story |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}} By 2019, the collective held the works of 200 different artists and employed more than 150 people. By 2024, Meow Wolf employed 1,000 people across the country.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-18 |title=50 Denver Meow Wolf employees laid off |url=https://www.9news.com/article/money/business/meow-wolf-denver-employee-layoffs-convergence-station/73-8c2d8a23-41bf-4f93-be63-1a94eb09b79c |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=KUSA.com |language=en-US}} It has received widespread praise for its impact on the New Mexico and national art scene.{{Cite journal |last=McEnaney |first=Lillia |date=March 2019 |title=House of Eternal Return. Exhibit at Meow Wolf. Santa Fe, New Mexico. 2016–Ongoing. |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/muan.12199 |journal=Museum Anthropology |language=en |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=42–43 |doi=10.1111/muan.12199 |s2cid=166665545 |issn=0892-8339|url-access=subscription }} The name was chosen by randomly drawing two words from a hat at the first meeting of the collective (everyone present put two scraps of paper with a word on each one in).{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |website=Meow Wolf |url=https://meowwolf.com/faq#:~:text=At%20the%20very%20first%20meeting,whole%20wild%20experiment%20was%20born!|access-date=2020-08-09}}

In the early days, the artists' first large-scale venture working outside the establishment represented in Santa Fe's galleries was The Due Return, a more than 70-foot-long, two-story ship installed in 2011 into the Muñoz Waxman Gallery of the Center for Contemporary Arts{{Cite web |title=Gale – Product Login |url=https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=albu78484&sid=ebsco&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fp%3DITOF%26u%3Dalbu78484%26id%3DGALE%257CA689344260%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26sid%3Debsco&prodId=ITOF |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=galeapps.gale.com}} and filled with rooms and objects suggesting details of implied inhabitants' lives.{{cite news |last=Sharpe |first=Tom |title='Return' to fantasy: Art installation aboard ship promises spectacular interactive environment |url=http://www.santafenewmexican.com/News/-Return--to-fantasy|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201181442/http://www.santafenewmexican.com/News/-Return--to-fantasy|archive-date=1 February 2013|access-date=17 November 2012 |newspaper=Santa Fe New Mexican |date=23 April 2011}}

Some other notable projects include: "Biome Neuro Norb" (2008), a science fiction-inspired installation,{{cite news |title=Biome Sweet Biome |url=http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-2699-biome-sweet-biome.html|access-date=29 November 2013 |newspaper=The Santa Fe Reporter |date=21 May 2008}} "Auto Wolf" (2009), an installation centered around the destruction and reuse of a donated car,{{cite news |last=Photos |first=John |title=Unmade in the USA |url=http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/print-article-4802-print.html|access-date=29 November 2013 |newspaper=The Santa Fe Reporter |date=12 August 2009}} "The Moon is to Live On" (2010), a multimedia theatrical play,{{cite news |last=Charlotte |first=Mary |title=Santa Fe Radio Cafe |url=http://www.santaferadiocafe.org/podcasts/?m=201002|access-date=29 November 2013 |newspaper=KSFR |date=26 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829041359/http://www.santaferadiocafe.org/podcasts/?m=201002|archive-date=29 August 2010}} "Geodecadent I" and "Geodecadent II" (2010), a series of installations based on geodesic domes.{{cite web |title=Meow Wolf |url=http://www.visualartsource.com/index.php?page=editorial&aID=482 |work=Visual Art Source|access-date=29 November 2013}}{{cite news |last=Lenihan (Intern) |first=Drew |title=Meow Wolf's Orb of Collective Wisdom...and Junk |url=http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/blog-2280-meow-wolfs-orb-of-collective-wisdomand-junk.html|access-date=29 November 2013 |date=12 June 2010}}

In pursuit of teaching collaborative arts practices, Meow Wolf formed CHIMERA in 2011. In 2012 CHIMERA worked with approximately one thousand Santa Fe students to create Omega Mart, an installation in the form of a fictitious grocery store stocked with "satirical goods".{{cite web |title=OmegaMart |url=http://www.meowwolf.com/projects/omegamart-0 |work=Meow Wolf|access-date=29 November 2013}} Omega Mart was deliberately placed away from Santa Fe's arts district to attract a more diverse audience.{{cite web |title=Meow Wolf Reveals Bag of Tricks |url=http://blackrockarts.org/2013/06/meow-wolf-interview |work=Black Rock Arts Foundation|access-date=29 November 2013 |date=13 June 2013}} The Omega Mart concept was revived at Area15 in Las Vegas in 2021.{{Cite web |url=https://knpr.org/knpr/2021-02/meow-wolf-and-las-vegas-artists-merge-create-omega-mart |title=Meow Wolf And Las Vegas Artists Merge To Create Omega Mart}} In 2013, CHIMERA began working with the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History's classroom mentorship program for gifted students on an installation named "Project Dreamscape".{{cite news |last=Pleshaw |first=Gregory |title=Project Dreamscape: Ask & You Shall Receive |url=http://alibi.com/art/44169/Project-Dreamscape.html|access-date=14 March 2013 |newspaper=Weekly Alibi |date=14 March 2013}} As of 2022 CHIMERA was no longer active.

Meow Wolf has built notable shows outside of Santa Fe. "Glitteropolis" (2011), at the New Mexico State University Art Gallery, used 50 pounds of glitter.{{cite news |last=Irwin |first=Matthew |title=Team Wolf: Art collective Meow Wolf gets serious |url=http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-6460-team-wolf.html|access-date=29 November 2013 |newspaper=The Santa Fe Reporter |date=30 November 2011}} "Nucleotide" (2013) was a pastel, cave-like installation in Chicago's Thomas Robertello Gallery.{{cite news |last=Eler |first=Alicia|author-link=Alicia Eler |title=A Psychedelic Cave Blooms in Chicago |url=http://hyperallergic.com/83978/a-psychedelic-cave-blooms-in-chicago/|access-date=29 November 2013 |newspaper=Hyperallergic |date=17 September 2013}} The majority of "Nucleotide" was conceived and built in Chicago over a three-month period by 18 members of the collective.{{cite web |last=Dluzen |first=Robin |title=Visual Art Source – Meow Wolf – "Nucleotide" |url=http://www.visualartsource.com/index.php?page=editorial&aID=1916 |work=Visual Art Source|access-date=20 January 2014}}

In 2016 Meow Wolf opened its first permanent installation, House of Eternal Return, built by a collective of 135 artists in Santa Fe.{{Cite web |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/house-of-eternal-return |title=House of Eternal Return |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en|access-date=2020-03-30}}

Meow Wolf became a Certified B Corporation in 2017.{{Cite web |last=Marquis |first=Christopher |date=10 October 2021 |title=An Immersive Art And Entertainment Attraction Highlighting The 'Bizarre, Mysterious And Often Hilarious Nature Of Consumer Culture' Thrives During Covid Recovery |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/christophermarquis/2021/10/01/an-immersive-art-and-entertainment-attraction-highlighting-the-bizarre-mysterious-and-often-hilarious-nature-of-consumer-culture-thrives-during-covid-recovery/ |access-date=2022-01-04 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf – Certified B Corporation – B Lab Global |url=https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/meow-wolf |access-date=2022-01-04 |website=www.bcorporation.net |language=en-us}}

In January 2018, Meow Wolf announced two new art complexes, in Las Vegas and Denver.{{Cite news |last=Mexican |first=Bruce Krasnow The New |title=Meow Wolf announces permanent exhibit in Las Vegas, Nev. |language=en |work=The Santa Fe New Mexican |url=http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/meow-wolf-announces-permanent-exhibit-in-las-vegas-nev/article_bf439a22-fc7d-11e7-8db1-7745aaddd08e.html |access-date=2018-05-20}}{{Cite web |date=10 January 2018 |title=Meow Wolf is opening a second 'world' in Denver / Boing Boing |url=https://boingboing.net/2018/01/10/meow-wolf-is-opening-a-second.html |access-date=2018-05-20 |website=boingboing.net |language=en-US}}

On November 29, 2018, the documentary Meow Wolf: Origin Story was released in movie theaters around the United States in a one-time only showing.{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf Origin Story website |url=https://originstory.mw/ |access-date=2018-11-29}}

In 2019, plans for a Phoenix attraction were announced, featuring a {{convert|75000|sqft|adj=on}} exhibit with a 400-room hotel.{{Cite web |last=Ortiz |first=Christopher |date=2019-02-25 |title=Meow Wolf announces new city |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2019/02/25/meow-wolf-announces-new-city.html |access-date=2020-03-30 |website=bizjournals.com}} The Phoenix project did not actualize.

Meow Wolf also announced the same year a permanent exhibition in Washington, DC. The exhibition, a partnership with the Cafritz Foundation, was planned to open in 2022 and would have been a three-level, 75,000-square-foot structure located in the Fort Totten community.{{Cite web |last=world |first=STIR |title=Art collective Meow Wolf reveals its large-scale exhibition plans for Washington D.C. |url=https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-art-collective-meow-wolf-reveals-its-large-scale-exhibition-plans-for-washington-d-c- |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=www.stirworld.com |language=English}}{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf heads to Washington, DC |url=https://www.sfreporter.com/arts/2018/12/11/meow-wolf-heads-to-washington-dc/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=Santa Fe Reporter |date=December 11, 2018 |language=en}} The Washington, DC project did not actualize.

The New York Times Magazine featured Meow Wolf in an article titled "Can an Art Collective Become the Disney of the Experience Economy?", describing the challenges faced by the group's founders in shifting from work as underground artists to running a multimillion-dollar corporation.{{Cite news |last=Monroe |first=Rachel |author-link=Rachel Monroe |date=2019-05-01 |title=Can an Art Collective Become the Disney of the Experience Economy? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/01/magazine/meow-wolf-art-experience-economy.html |access-date=2020-03-30 |issn=0362-4331}}

In early 2021 the firm announced that they would abandon their plans for a Meow Wolf themed hotel in Phoenix, although still planned an exhibition in the city.{{Cite web |last=Yeager |first=Melissa |title=Meow Wolf abandons plans for Phoenix hotel on Roosevelt Row. Here's what we know |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2021/02/24/meow-wolf-phoenix-hotel-canceled/6803533002/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}

The permanent exhibition in Washington, DC, in Fort Totten, was also canceled later in the year.{{Cite web |title=Psychedelic Art Installation Meow Wolf Isn't Coming To Fort Totten After All |url=https://dcist.com/story/21/05/10/dc-meow-wolf-fort-totten-psychedelic-art/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510212712/https://dcist.com/story/21/05/10/dc-meow-wolf-fort-totten-psychedelic-art/ |url-status=live |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=DCist |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-05-11 |title=Meow Wolf's Psychedelic Art Installation Is a No-Go in Fort Totten – Washingtonian |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/05/11/psychedelic-art-exhibit-meow-wolf-cancelled-fort-totten-installation/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |language=en-US}}

In 2021 the permanent exhibition in Las Vegas, a redo of their concept Omega Mart, opened in January and the Denver art complex called Convergence Station in September.{{Cite web |title=User account |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/user/login?destination=document-view%3Fp%3DNewsBank%26t%3Dstate%253ANM%2521USA%2520-%2520New%2520Mexico%26sort%3DYMD_date%253AD%26fld-base-0%3Dalltext%26maxresults%3D20%26val-base-0%3Dhouse%2520of%2520eternal%2520return%26docref%3Dnews/18428B36576C9118 |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=infoweb.newsbank.com}}

Meow Wolf co-founder and senior creative director Matt King died on July 9, 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-12 |title=Meow Wolf co-founder Matt King, who was instrumental in Denver location, has died |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/12/meow-wolf-co-founder-matt-king-death/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}

File:House of Eternal Return washing machine.jpg

In January 2015, author George R. R. Martin pledged $2.7 million to renovate and lease a vacant bowling alley to create a permanent facility for Meow Wolf. This was supplemented by additional funding, including $50,000 from the city of Santa Fe and $100,000 from a crowd-funding campaign.{{cite web |title=Meow Wolf Art Complex ft. The House of Eternal Return |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/185944623/meow-wolf-art-complex-ft-the-house-of-eternal-retu/description |website=Kickstarter|access-date=20 April 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Rachel |title=How George RR Martin is helping stem Santa Fe's youth exodus |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/11/george-rr-martin-santa-fe-youth-exodus-meow-wolf|access-date=April 20, 2016 |work=The Guardian |date=February 11, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Jardrnak |first1=Jackie |title=Silva Lanes to be transformed to an explorable art space for kids and adults |url=http://www.abqjournal.com/533497/news/silva-lanes-to-be-transformed-to-an-explorable-art-space-for-kids-and-adults.html|access-date=April 20, 2016 |work=Albuquerque Journal |date=January 29, 2015}} The installation, called House of Eternal Return opened March 18, 2016.{{cite news |last1=Horowitz-Ghazi |first1=Alexi |title=DIY Artists Paint The Town Strange, With Some Help From George R.R. Martin |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/03/27/471732581/diy-artists-paint-the-town-strange-with-some-help-from-george-r-r-martin|access-date=20 April 2016 |work=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |date=March 27, 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Newitz |first1=Annalee |title=Inside Meow Wolf, the amusement park for people who want a weirder Disneyland |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/inside-meow-wolf-the-amusement-park-for-people-who-want-a-weirder-disneyland/|access-date=April 20, 2016 |work=Ars Technica |date=April 4, 2016}} It received a 2017 Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association and has been cited as the tenth best music venue in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.teaconnect.org/Blog/TEA-Blog/index.cfm?ID=6610 |title=TEA names 23rd annual Thea Awards recipients; Awards Gala to be held in Anaheim in 2017 |website=Themed Entertainment Association}}{{cite web |url=https://blog.yelp.com/2017/07/top-50-music-venues-u-s |title=Top 50 Music Venues In The U.S. |author=Will Simons |date=18 July 2017 |website=Yelp |type=Blog}} Multiple musical acts have filmed music videos at House of Eternal Return including The Revivalists and T-Pain.{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/NewMexicoUTD/status/1156233026906599424 |title=The Revivalists – Change|access-date=2019-07-30}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/rapper-t-pain-filmed-new-music-video-at-meow-wolf/ |title=Rapper T-Pain filmed new music video at Meow Wolf |date=2019-03-12 |website=KRQE News 13 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-30}}

2018 Meow Wolf's Kaleidoscape, an "other-worldly" dark ride based around the concept of entering a piece of art, was announced for Elitch Gardens Theme Park in Denver, Colorado, replacing Ghost Blasters. The exhibit debuted during Elitch Garden's 2019 summer season; the Denver Post described Kaleidoscape as "a hallucinogenic gallery of neon art."{{cite news |last1=Wenzel |first1=John |title=Meow Wolf ride at Elitch Gardens: Trippy new Kaleidoscape experience is a hallucinogenic gallery of neon art |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/12/meow-wolf-elitch-gardens-kaleidoscape-review/ |access-date=2020-11-30 |newspaper=The Denver Post |date=2019-04-12}} The attraction was intended as a prequel to their Denver exhibit, Convergence Station,{{cite web |url=https://meowwolf.com/2018/08/22/kaleidoscape/ |title=Meow Wolf's Kaleidoscape at Elitch Gardens |website=Meow Wolf |date=August 22, 2018}} with the ride experience being focused around the Quantum Department of Transportation harnessing the power of a Cosmic Egg to open a path to a new universe.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

{{Main|Omega Mart}}

In January 2018, Meow Wolf announced a second interactive art installation in Las Vegas, Nevada as anchor attraction at a new retail, art and entertainment complex called Area15.{{Cite web |last=Vitu |first=Teya |date=2020-08-10 |title=Meow Wolf unveils 'Omega Mart' as its Las Vegas attraction |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/meow-wolf-unveils-omega-mart-as-its-las-vegas-attraction/article_1e4dd50a-db42-11ea-a122-8f8cba5b905f.html|access-date=2020-08-12 |website=Santa Fe New Mexican |language=en}} Opened in 2021,{{Cite web |url=https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/meow-wolfs-omega-mart-las-vegas |title=This Las Vegas Grocery Store is Actually a Giant Trippy Funhouse|date=May 10, 2021 }} Omega Mart is a {{convert|52000|sqft|adj=on}} multisensory grocery store that blends narrative storytelling, technical wizardry, and commerce.{{Cite web |last=Zara |first=Christopher |date=2020-08-11 |title=Here's a preview of Meow Wolf's trippy new Las Vegas grocery store—fingers crossed for 2021 |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90538708/heres-a-preview-of-meow-wolfs-trippy-new-las-vegas-grocery-store-fingers-crossed-for-2021|access-date=2020-08-12 |website=Fast Company |language=en-US}} Omega Mart aims to guide guests into fantastical areas with themes examining American consumerism and corporate responsibility.{{Cite web |last=Martens |first=Todd |date=2020-08-08 |title=Meow Wolf was set to transform themed entertainment in Vegas and beyond. Then came the pandemic |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-08-08/how-meow-wolf-las-vegas-reshape-themed-entertainment|access-date=2020-08-12 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} The exhibit features more than 325 writers, painters, sculptors, actors, lighting designers, musicians and more.{{Cite web |last=Sheckells |first=Melinda |date=2021-02-16 |title=Inside Meow Wolf's New Omega Mart Interactive Experience in Las Vegas |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/inside-meow-wolfs-new-omega-mart-interactive-experience-in-las-vegas-4133153/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

The Omega Mart concept was reused from an earlier temporary installation in Santa Fe.{{Cite web |title=Projects |website=Meow Wolf |url=https://meowwolf.com/projects|access-date=2021-04-17 |language=en}} The exhibit follows the hypothetical corporation that owns Omega Mart, Dramcorp, in an alternate dimension. In this dimension, they harness a power titled "The Source" to continue to sell their products.

In its first year it had over 1 million visitors.{{Cite web |last=Forrest |first=Brett |date=2022-02-18 |title=Meow Wolf's Omega Mart celebrates one year, over one million visitors |url=https://news3lv.com/news/local/meow-wolfs-omega-mart-celebrates-one-year-over-one-million-visitors |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=KSNV |language=en}}

File:Meow Wolf Convergence Station May 2022.jpg

In 2018 Meow Wolf announced plans for a venue in downtown Denver, Colorado, at I-25 and Colfax Ave.{{Cite web |date=2018-01-04 |title=Meow Wolf is Officially Coming to Denver with a Huge New Location |url=https://303magazine.com/2018/01/meow-wolf-denver-location-1/|access-date=2020-12-11 |website=303 Magazine |language=en-US}} It opened September 2021. The {{convert|90000|sqft|adj=on}} building is Meow Wolf's largest installation, rising 30 feet over three elevated viaducts{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Elissaveta M. |date=2022-04-01 |title=How a weird triangle between 3 highways was turned into a cutting-edge museum |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90736942/how-a-weird-triangle-between-3-highways-was-turned-into-a-cutting-edge-museum |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=Fast Company |language=en-US}} and employing{{clarify|date=January 2023}} more than 100 local artists{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf Denver |url=https://meowwolf.com/visit/denver|access-date=2020-12-11|website=Meow Wolf |language=en}} (including indigenous artistsCastillo, Monica [https://www.cpr.org/2021/09/17/denver-meow-wolf-convergence-station-opens/ "Meow Wolf launches in Denver, taking visitors (finally) to Convergence Station" CPR News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020033853/https://www.cpr.org/2021/09/17/denver-meow-wolf-convergence-station-opens/ |date=October 20, 2021 }}) specializing in a wide range of media, including architecture, sculpture, painting, photography, video production, cross-reality (AR/VR/MR), music, audio engineering, narrative writing, costuming, and performance.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Logan |date=2020-11-24 |title=Distinct 'Meow Wolf' Building Squeezed Into Triangular Footprint Between I-25 Overpasses In Denver |url=https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/11/24/meow-wolf-denver-building-resembles-ship-prow-interstate-25-colfax-avenue/|access-date=2020-12-11 |website= |language=en-US}}

Convergence Station is presented as an interdimensional transport hub of the Quantum Department of Transportation linking Earth to the Convergence of Worlds, named for a cosmic Convergence event that resulted in fragments of four planets fusing together, consisting of the C Street of an ecumenopolis named Immensity, the crystal mines of the Ossuary, the frozen world of Eemia, and a cosmic superorganism named Numina.{{cite web |url=https://meowwolf.com/articles/4-converged-worlds-of-meow-wolf-denver |title=A Look into the 4 Converged Worlds | Meow Wolf}}

It houses several exhibits, including a large-scale physical fabrication of The Cathedral{{clarify|date=January 2023}}'{{Cite magazine |last=Owens |first=Dylan |date=2019-01-16 |title=Meow Wolf: Inside the Insane Psych Art Collective Taking Over the World |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/meow-wolf-expansion-psych-art-728202/|access-date=2020-12-11 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} that the company digitized for The Infinite Playa, a recognized universe in the Burning Man{{'s}} multiverse.{{Cite web |last=Weisenburger |first=Kirsten |date=2020-08-28 |title=Oh! The Places You'll Go in the Multiverse! |url=https://journal.burningman.org/2020/08/black-rock-city/participate-in-brc/oh-the-places-youll-go-in-the-multiverse/|access-date=2020-12-11 |website=Burning Man Journal |language=en-US}}

A rotating exhibit of local artists is on display in Convergence Station's Galleri Gallery; the first to be featured is Denver's Lumonics collective, with works from light art pioneers Mel and Dorothy Tanner.{{Cite web |last=Donahue |first=Maggie |date=2021-09-13 |title=What's this "Meow Wolf" thing you keep hearing about? |url=https://denverite.com/2021/09/13/whats-this-meow-wolf-thing-you-keep-hearing-about/|access-date=2021-12-02 |website=Denverite |language=en-US}}

Convergence Station also features tributes to Denver's "Gang of 19" (who would later become the organization ADAPT) who played a central role in making mass transit accessible to disabled people.Hansen, Mariah [https://303magazine.com/2021/09/first-look-meow-wolf-convergence-station/ "A first look at Convergence Station, Meow Wolf's Newest Interactive exhibit" (Sept. 15, 2021)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023195243/https://303magazine.com/2021/09/first-look-meow-wolf-convergence-station/ |date=October 23, 2021 }} Accessed Oct. 11, 2021.

One of Meow Wolf's music festivals, Vortex, was held in Taos, New Mexico, in 2018 and 2019, then paused for two years due to COVID{{Cite web |last=De Vore |first=Alex |date=2022-04-26 |title=Meow Wolf Vortex Moves to Denver This August |url=https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2022/04/26/meow-wolf-vortex-moves-to-denver-this-august/ |access-date=2022-07-08 |website=Santa Fe Reporter |language=en}} and moved to Denver in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Ricciardi |first=Tiney |date=2022-04-26 |title=Meow Wolf's Vortex moves to Denver, giving us a massive new "immersive" electronic music fest |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/04/26/meow-wolf-vortex-fest-2022-denver-tickets-lineup/ |access-date=2022-07-08 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}

In May 2022, Meow Wolf announced its fourth permanent exhibition, located in Grapevine (a suburb in the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex) situated in the Grapevine Mills Mall in a former {{Convert|40000|sqft|m2|0}} big box store. In May 2023, the name of the exhibit was revealed to be The Real Unreal, and it opened on July 14, 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-16 |title=Meow Wolf to open 'The Real Unreal' in Grapevine, Texas, on July 14 |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2599222/meow-wolf-to-open-the-real-unreal-in-grapevine-texas-on-july-14.html |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=Albuquerque Journal |language=en}}

The Real Unreal, conceived by author LaShawn Wanak,{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2023 |title=New Portals and Cross-Exhibition Connections in Grapevine, TX |url=https://meowwolf.com/blob/grapevine-tx-house |access-date=August 17, 2023 |website=Meow Wolf Blob}} tells the story of Ruby and Gordon Delaney, who moved to the house in Bolingbrook, Illinois, where Gordon taught music and Ruby cultivated a garden. As they aged, their daughter Carmen moved back home to care for them and started a spice blend company named Ruby's Garden. Carmen's friend LaVerne Fuqua and her son Jared also moved into the house. The exhibit reveals how the house amplifies the lives of its occupants and how it becomes a beacon for the family's energy during a crisis. Jared and Gordon befriend an imaginary character named Happy Garry, and Jared eventually goes missing through a portal in the closet. The exhibit explores the concept of The Real Unreal, where imagination comes to rest and creativity can transform everything it touches. Visitors are invited to explore the house and the world beyond the portal to understand the mysteries and connections between these characters and the realms they encounter.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Michael J. |date=July 12, 2023 |title=A House Comes to Grapevine Mills in Texas |url=https://meowwolf.com/blob/story-grapevine-texas |access-date=August 17, 2023 |website=Meow Wolf Blob}}

Certain spaces within The Real Unreal may feel familiar to Meow Wolf devotees, as they harken back to the original Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, creating cross-exhibition connections and expanding the Meow Wolf story universe. Meow Wolf Co-Founder Emily Montoya reflects that the house and the concept of 'eternal return' are powerful motifs that catalyzed Meow Wolf's transformation from a scrappy art collective into the growing company it is today."

Meow Wolf's fifth permanent exhibit, Radio Tave, opened on October 31, 2024.{{Cite web|title=Houston to bring Meow Wolf interactive arts museum to the Fifth Ward|url= https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/arts-culture-news/2023/05/25/452889/houston-to-bring-meow-wolf-interactive-arts-museum-to-the-fifth-ward/|date=May 25, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230610150357/https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/arts-culture-news/2023/05/25/452889/houston-to-bring-meow-wolf-interactive-arts-museum-to-the-fifth-ward/|archive-date=June 10, 2023|url-status=live|access-date=May 9, 2024}} Located in the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas, Radio Tave tells the story of ETNL, a radio station mysteriously teleported to another dimension.{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf Announces Two New Texas Locations |url=https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2022/05/11/meow-wolf-announces-two-new-texas-locations/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=Santa Fe Reporter |date=May 11, 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-11 |title=Meow Wolf is adding two new locations by 2024 — including one inside a suburban mall |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/05/11/meow-wolf-houston-grapevine-new-locations/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}

In May 2024, Meow Wolf announced it would open its sixth permanent location in West Los Angeles, to be built in a movie theater in the Cinemark Complex at Howard Hughes L.A.{{Cite news |date=2024-05-13 |title=Meow Wolf announces its Los Angeles venue |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2024-05-13/meow-wolf-los-angeles-location-2026 |access-date=2024-05-15 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} A seventh location, to be at the South Street Seaport in New York City, was announced in March 2025.{{Cite web |title=Meow Wolf’s Seventh Permanent Exhibition Coming to NYC {{!}} Meow Wolf |url=https://meowwolf.com/blob/opening-nyc |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=meowwolf.com |language=en}}

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Meow Wolf's development plans were delayed in all locations, including layoffs of more than half its staff in Denver.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Kyle |date=2020-04-16 |title=Meow Wolf Layoffs Hit Denver, but New Installation Still Set for 2021 |work=Westword |url=https://www.westword.com/arts/meow-wolf-lays-off-half-its-staff-denver-project-moving-forward-11691185 |access-date=2020-11-30}} A preliminary collective bargaining group was formed in late 2020 in response to pandemic-related economic challenges, seeking more worker input.{{cite news |date=2020-10-19 |title=Meow Wolf may unionize amid pandemic turmoil |work=AP news |url=https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-santa-fe-b502c5aef22a2a055e2f176c45c9bdda |access-date=2020-11-30}}

Due to the pandemic, House of Eternal Return closed from March 2020 to March 2021. They reopened at 25% capacity, which was only 625 people a day, for four days a week.{{Cite web |last=Shupryt |first=Victoria |date=2021-03-05 |title=Meow Wolf reopening after a year of being closed |url=https://www.koat.com/article/meow-wolf-reopening-after-a-year-of-being-closed/35728979 |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=KOAT |language=en}} The company also temporarily laid off some 200 employees and placed another 56 on furlough. This spearheaded an ongoing unionization effort formed by the Meow Wolf Workers Collective. In 2019, the company policy was that all Meow Wolf employees earn a minimum of $17 an hour.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-23 |title=Arts Upstart Meow Wolf Says Jobs Up After Public Investment Ahead Of Expansion Into Denver - CBS Colorado |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/meow-wolf-santa-fe-denver/ |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} But in 2022, they ratified their contract with Meow Wolf calling for $1 million to go towards wage increases, where each artist gets paid no less than $60,000 annually, and exhibition workers at least $18 an hour.{{Cite web |last=Sandford |first=Brian |title=Union ratifies contract with Meow Wolf |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/union-ratifies-contract-with-meow-wolf/article_4c08c5ca-bce3-11ec-83f9-57ab2c44dc41.html |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Santa Fe New Mexican |date=April 15, 2022 |language=en}}

Various allegations have been made against the company, and certain individuals it employs, including, among other things, that it has engaged in aggressive union busting, questionable hiring practices, racial and gender discrimination, and failing to provide proportionate representation for regional artists from New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas.{{cite web | title=Art Industry News: Meow Wolf Workers Claw Back at the Immersive Art Company With a Lawsuit Over Alleged Union-Busting + Other Stories | website=Artnet News | date=February 4, 2022 | url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-industry-news-other-stories-feb-4-2068470 | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Wolf | first=Stephanie | website=Colorado Public Radio | title="Meow Wolf Sued For Discrimination, Unfair Pay" | date=July 3, 2019 | url=https://www.cpr.org/2019/07/03/report-meow-wolf-sued-for-discrimination-unfair-pay/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Levin | first=Annie | title=Union Busting at Meow Wolf: Workers File Unfair Labor Practice Suit | website=Observer | date=February 3, 2022 | url=https://observer.com/2022/02/union-busting-at-meow-wolf-workers-file-unfair-labor-practice-suit/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Bloom | first=Matt | title=Meow Wolf Denver workers launch union push, following other locations | website=Denverite | date=July 6, 2022 | url=https://denverite.com/2022/07/06/meow-wolf-denver-workers-launch-union-push-following-other-locations/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Wenzel | first=John | title=Meow Wolf complaints are piling up as new name joins Denver lawsuit | website=The Denver Post | date=December 13, 2019 | url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/12/13/meow-wolf-lawsuits/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Harris | first=Kyle | title=Denver Artists File Suit Against Meow Wolf, Claiming Discrimination | website=Westword | date=December 16, 2019 | url=https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-artists-file-suit-against-meow-wolf-claiming-discrimination-11576407 | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Sell | first=Meredith | title=Is Meow Wolf Denver Socially Responsible? It May Be Too Soon to Tell | website=5280 | date=September 16, 2021 | url=https://www.5280.com/is-meow-wolf-denver-socially-responsible-it-may-be-too-soon-to-tell/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | title=Meow Wolf Faces New Discrimination Complaint | website=Santa Fe Reporter | date=November 8, 2019 | url=https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2019/11/08/meow-wolf-faces-new-discrimination-complaint/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}

In 2021, Meow Wolf settled a workplace discrimination lawsuit.{{cite web | last=Duke | first=Ellie | title=In Midst of Controversy, Meow Wolf Gets $528K From State of New Mexico | website=Hyperallergic | date=November 11, 2019 | url=http://hyperallergic.com/527816/in-midst-of-controversy-meow-wolf-gets-528k-from-state-of-new-mexico/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | title=Former Meow Wolf employees allege discrimination | website=Santa Fe Reporter | date=July 3, 2019 | url=https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2019/07/03/former-meow-wolf-employees-allege-discrimination/ | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | title=Another employee suit filed against Meow Wolf | website=Albuquerque Journal | date=December 12, 2019 | url=https://www.abqjournal.com/1400640/another-employee-suit-filed-against-meow-wolf.html | access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite web | last=Prokop | first=Danielle | title=Meow Wolf settles workplace discrimination suits | website=Santa Fe New Mexican | date=November 15, 2022 | url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/meow-wolf-settles-workplace-discrimination-suits/article_32db6f4e-4eae-11ea-b52b-fb816b1c9113.html | access-date=November 20, 2022}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://www.omegamart.com/ omegamart.com]
• [https://www.convergencestation.com/ convergencestation.com]
• [http://gallerigallery.com/ gallerigallery.com]
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160229171714/http://meccalecca.com/?p=25669 "There is Magic in the World"]}} a comprehensive biography of Meow Wolf from music blog Mecca Lecca (2015)
• [https://news.artnet.com/art-world/meow-wolf-denver-2008433 Art Collective Meow Wolf Just Opened Its Largest Immersive Funhouse to Date in Denver], Artnet News, Sept 22, 2021
• [http://texasportals.com/ texasportals.com]

Category:Art in New Mexico

Category:American artist groups and collectives

Category:Culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Category:Installation art

Category:Art in Colorado

Category:Interactive art

Category:Art exhibitions in the United States

Category:B Lab-certified corporations

Category:Immersive entertainment

Category:Art in Nevada

Category:Culture of Denver

Category:Culture of Las Vegas

Category:George R. R. Martin