I first blogged about Meow Wolf 7 years ago when it was a fresh force on the art scene. Flash forward to last month when Jeff and I were able to experience it in person on our Santa Fe trip. It certainly was a highlight that needs to be seen to be believed.
It is first a larger-than-life art gallery with a very contemporary flair of curated exhibits. Beyond that, it is an escape room set somewhere between Stranger Things and X-files.You begin by walking into a full scale home that looks like a Victorian manse in a Midwestern small town like Cedar Rapids IA. The set decoration is so detailed with microscopes in the study, family photos near the bed stand & book lamp, or find the hamster hidden in the back of the bathroom medicine cabinet. The house is frozen in 1987 with the disappearance of the Selig family. Grandpa Emerson was a dabbling scientist interested in aliens & science fiction. Somehow they were summoned into the home where they abducted the grandson Morgan and his hamster Nimsesku. Eventually the whole family disappeared as they continued to make discoveries and reach out for help. The whole home is littered with tiny clues left in open journals, papers left on a kitchen table or open suitcases in the midst of being packed. Just like an escape room, you can unlock safes, pull up videos, explore closets.... the options are endless. One could spend an entire day just exploring the floor plan of the home itself to unmap the fragments of the story. But the true magic of the art lies in the maze of grids that are beyond the home. There are endless portals unveiled by traveling through the refrigerator, crawling through the fireplace hearth or sliding into the clothes dryer to name a few. It is clever and mystifying. Then, like a fun house, you enter dozens of fantasy exhibits that are built off one tiny tidbit that ties back to the mystery in the house itself. Colors, light, ambient sound. All of it amazing. Most of it past comprehension.
The roster of creators is what you would see in the end credits of a blockbuster film. It is not just about artists. There are costumers, designers, electricians, composers. Additionally there are hundreds of volunteers that built and brought it to life. Exhibits change over time as more creators are brought in. I can't imagine how it is done without closing the museum itself?
We spent almost three hours just taking it all in and mingling with other guests. There were costumed party girls as well as families with kids or date nights. At some points we had an entire room to ourselves. Other open spaces were a gathering of dozens. Once in a while we would retrace steps and end up back in a room of the home. But most of the time there were more treasures around every corner. I can't fathom how huge the complex itself is or how a blueprint was ever created. The site was a former bowling alley which does not seem incredibly large. Imagine going behind the scenes at a Disney Park ride.
The gift shop is wonder of its own. Then there is a cafe/ ice cream parlor that beats anything you would find at our Mall of America. There is even a large stage for performances and concerts within the maze. I knew we were in for curious fun at the entry counter when I saw a big red button that said Do Not Press - which of course you just had to. If you are ever in Santa Fe - enter immediately without regret. It is an experience unlike anything else you have taken in.