Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
Santa Fe-based arts collective Meow Wolf announced Wednesday two new permanent exhibitions in Grapevine, Texas, and Houston.
They will mark the company’s fourth and fifth permanent exhibitions.
“The Meow Wolf story universe is expanding and Texas holds the keys to our next chapters,” said Jose Tolosa, Meow Wolf CEO, in a news release. “Opening a permanent exhibition in the largest and one of the most diverse states in the country has been on Meow Wolf’s radar for years, and we are excited to be formally underway. The opportunities this state has presented have already become the touchstones of a vibrant, arts-centric portal of imaginative creativity.”
According to Meow Wolf, the Grapevine exhibition in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be located in Grapevine Mills and is slated to open in 2023.
Grapevine Mills is known for its unique retail offerings of more than 180 stores of shopping, entertainment and restaurants.
“An exact name for the exhibition will be announced at a later date,” Tolosa said.
The Houston exhibition will be located in the Fifth Ward and is slated to open in 2024, with The Deal Co. as development partners.
The district has a long history of diverse communities dating back to the late 1800s, and has been transformed into an arts and cultural destination in recent years.
According to Meow Wolf, the locations have been on the company’s radar for over two years.
“We’ve never designed two exhibitions in the same state at the same time. The Texas experiences will be deeply rooted in artist collaboration and connected by concealed Easter eggs,” said Dale Sheehan, Meow Wolf executive creative director. “Of course, the locations themselves are also creative prompts. In Grapevine, we’ll be leaning into the energy of a shopping center – a nostalgic place for many of us, where families gather and young adults often find their first moments of freedom. In Houston, we’ll engage a burgeoning arts community in the most diverse city in the nation, which we believe will result in a groundswell of revolutionary artistic expression.”
Meow Wolf refers to the locations as “portals,” which references existing exhibitions in Santa Fe, Denver and Las Vegas, Nevada.
As the projects are being built, Meow Wolf will work with artists from Texas and those from Santa Fe to create the immersive experiences.
