Many happy returns: Meow Wolf celebrates a multiverse milestone

Meow Wolf’s “House of Eternal Return” is turning 10, celebrating a decade of experimental art, expansion and a mission to promote artistry.

Meow Wolf opened on March 17, 2016, and since then has not only had new art installations at the “House of Eternal Return,” but also opened locations across the United States.

Vince Kadlubek, co-founder and chief vision officer, said he never anticipated how successful it would be, but he always had hope.

“We had a small bit of light through the tunnel that we believed in, around what it was that we were doing, in the power of immersive art and immersive storytelling,” Kadlubek said.

Lance McGoldrick was one of the original artists with Meow Wolf and has since created for “Omega Mart” in Las Vegas, Nevada, and “Convergence Station” in Denver.

He said that Meow Wolf gave artists in New Mexico a way to create and showcase experimental art, which is not as popular in the state.

When he did his first installation, he said it was exciting to explore the experimental theme and put his own spin on it.

“Basically, how it was put to me, it was like, ‘Hey, man, you build weird s---,’” McGoldrick said. “‘We need people to build weird s---.’”

He said the nice part about being an artist for Meow Wolf is that space is carved out for them and they leave their mark, even when bigger pieces are removed.

The room he created for the opening was decommissioned in 2020, but he still has pieces at “House of Eternal Return” and other Meow Wolf locations.

“I still have some kaleidoscopes in the kitchen that I did,” McGoldrick said, “and then I have a really big kaleidoscope in Vegas, and some kaleidoscopes with a collaborating artist in Vegas, and more kaleidoscopes in Denver.”

McGoldrick is creating an installation for the newest location opening in Los Angeles in late 2026.

He said that Meow Wolf is a beautiful conglomerate of voices that offers something for everyone, including opportunities for emerging artists that could define their careers.

“I would not be the artist I am if I hadn’t gotten involved with them,” McGoldrick said.

“It’s been a wild ride,” he said. “I can’t believe we’re 10 years into this, and I’m very proud to go around spreading what us weird guys from New Mexico have made.”

Kadlubek said when he and the other founders began Meow Wolf, he knew it would be a novel and mind-blowing attraction, but he did not anticipate how much it would draw people from all over.

“We didn’t realize people were gonna be driving from, like, Middle America… road tripping across the Midwest to come to Santa Fe to see this psychedelic art experience,” Kadlubek said.

He said people are drawn to Meow Wolf, looking for something they have never seen before.

“The way that Hollywood has produced just a bunch of sequels, and there’s not really much originality in entertainment, the insane amount of digital content on our phones,” Kadlubek said. “People want to experience something they’ve never seen before and they want to experience novelty.”

“So Meow Wolf represents the unprecedented.”

The original science fantasy storyline that started at the “House of Eternal Return” now weaves through all the Meow Wolf locations.

Susan Garbett, general manager of the “House of Eternal Return,” said that over the coming year, the story universe will become even stronger and cooler.

“No spoilers, but we’re all super excited to see how the Los Angeles exhibit’s story ties into the Santa Fe one, and I think it’s really going to create a really fun experience for all of our super fans,” Garbett said.

Garbett has worked with Meow Wolf since it was a solo location in Santa Fe and has loved seeing the company and the “House of Eternal Return” grow and expand.

She said that the “House of Eternal Return” began as 70 crazy rooms.

“It’s been really exciting to kind of see stuff change and evolve,” Garbett said.

The newest installation in Santa Fe, “The Temple of a Thousand Stories,” by artist Danaé Brissonnet, opened in June.

Garbett said “The Temple of a Thousand Stories” was installed ahead of the 10-year milestone. She is excited for visitors over the spring and summer to enjoy it for the first time.

Kadlubek said the seed of the story for “House of Eternal Return,” which centers around what happened to the residents of a suburban home and the uncharted realms found throughout the house, came on a trip to New Orleans.

The story was also impacted by the loss of David Lockridge in 2014, who was a core member of Meow Wolf, he said.

“When we started to think about the story for the house, it centered around the idea of bringing somebody back to life,” Kadlubek said. “And the idea of, you know, summoning a person’s spirit or a person’s memory. And so we wrote a story very much dedicated to David.”

“It’s only appropriate that his spirit lives on through the project in Santa Fe and also through the work that Meow Wolf does,” Kadlubek said.

While the founders are the minds behind the story, Kadlubek said, he finds the universe of Meow Wolf is being co-authored by everyone who experiences it.

He said he views himself and the other founders not as strictly architects of the story but as archaeologists uncovering more and more as the universe grows, always staying focused on the mission of prompting artistry.

“That’s the true mission of Meow Wolf is being this platform that’s able to continue to support new art and new artists and new storytelling ongoingly,” Kadlubek said.

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.