artdirector@sfreporter.com
A & C
Leaning heavily into portal imagery (because, you know, the multiverse), arts corporation Meow Wolf today announced it will expand its reach from New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada into Texas, with two new locations in Houston and Grapevine.
According to a statement from Meow Wolf, the Grapevine location will take over a 40,000-square-foot former big box store in the Grapevine Mills shopping center. The proposed Houston location, meanwhile, will set up shop in the Fifth Ward, a growing arts and culture district. The Grapevine location is slated for a 2023 opening, with Houston scheduled to follow in 2024.
In the statement, Meow Wolf Executive Creative Director Dale Sheehan says: “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.”
As for why it will open in Grapevine as opposed to a more high-profile city like Dallas or Austin, Meow Wolf’s Vice President of Marketing Didi Bethurum tells SFR that, “Meow Wolf has always been about making art accessible to as many people as possible. And our history has many artistic offerings. We definitely looked at areas like the Arts District in Dallas, but also thought that in going to Grapevine Mills, it was a great opportunity to connect with a whole new audience.”
The statement also says the company plans on “working with local and emerging artists in the region and will begin actively recruiting artists and staff in the summer of 2022,” and that interested parties should keep an eye on the company’s socials and meowwolf.com/careers.
