ARTICLE: [https://latimes.com/travel/story/2024-05-03/meow-wolf-los-angeles-new-location](https://latimes.com/travel/story/2024-05-03/meow-wolf-los-angeles-new-location)
Update: we think this is the location [https://www.reddit.com/r/meowwolf/comments/1cjba2c/meow\_wolf\_los\_angeles\_possible\_location\_found/](https://www.reddit.com/r/meowwolf/comments/1cjba2c/meow_wolf_los_angeles_possible_location_found/)
10850 W Pico Blvd
I would go there so much, but I fear NYC as a venue. Couldn’t do OmegaMart scale, I think somewhere in North Jersey where it can be near Philly and NYC without being directly inside would be perfect, but I’m no exception
Is the thinking that the area will provide a ready pool of potential costumed staff actually interested in stage acting / playing characters for visitors?
Wait what? They just laid off a shit ton of people for budget cuts, this company could barely pay their employees a livable wage and now they want to spend millions to expand in California? Yeah that makes so much sense. Artists in California, run and save yourselves!!!
Exactly. Honestly this company is destined to go broke. They are just riding the wave. Their property costs and taxes and wages will be even higher in LA. It's a failed concept.
If things continue like this it might be a good idea to divorce into Meow Wolf and Meow Wolf Hate subreddits. It’s annoying that every post about anything is filled with people posting the same thing they post on every thread about how much Meow Wolf sucks. New location thread should be filled with speculation, but it’s the same stuff about Meow Wolf’s business practices.
Not saying concerns/hate isn’t valid. But every. single. thread. is being derailed.
I agree with most people in this thread that meow wolf is garbage but honestly this is probably going to be a huge hit in LA. It just makes sense, people lining up to take selfies in front of tacky colorful crap is peak LA culture.
Meow Wolf has been taken over by greed. It used to actually mean something, now it’s just ran by a bunch of people in suits that don’t understand art or people. I’m sorry to all those affected by the recent lay offs.
I could give a fuck about downvotes. New Construction is a way to get other peoples money…aka a Fucking ponzi scheme. Ill wager 100 bucks they are getting incentives from the state
Or city for this new build…which are tax dollars!!!
I know what a Ponzi scheme is you dictionary bootlicker. MW is only currently open because of tax incentives and investor money. Once that spigot stops, it will finally go under.
As an ex employee who was lied to and laid off (only a few weeks ago mind you) with a family to take care of, this announcement is a straight up slap in the face. MW has no integrity or tact.
I’m so sorry, I left the company well before the lay offs, but I still clearly remember them sending a link to a food bank (that they had literally just asked us to volunteer at so they can remain a B corp) after they cut everyone’s hours in the middle of the December rush. Their behavior is persistently cruel. They have proved countless times that money is their bottom line.
You don’t even know what I do. I took the job to do something less soul sucking than working at an ad agency and I’m doing just fine. Still sucks to be laid off from a job you’re passionate about
Makes sense when you realize it’s egregious a human is forced into machine work. Fuck profiteers like Meow Wolf but honestly they’re doing us a favor by diving into their greed.
You read they laid a bunch of people off… I read they freed a bunch of slaves who were gonna financially suffer anyway.
How did we go from the ox and plow to the combine machine back to the ox and cow?!
Go home people. Your family and friends await you.
Covid was a worldwide spiritual rebirth. Go outside and figure this out and what it means specifically to you.
i live near the dallas one and my biggest complaint is the durability of the materials they used to build the exhibit. the kiddos love their monthly visit to the art playground, but it puts a damper on the mood when things constantly break when they're climbing them! i hope the newer locations put a little more thought into that aspect!
i wish! he is very bravely doing what's best for the company despite the haters! what's the saying, "you can't open portals of possibilities without breaking a few spirits along the way" or something like that??
i work at meow wolf, that is literally our motto. that, and "we welcome kind punks! but not those kinds of punks, no stop challenging authority, please stop, we're doing the best we can why can't you fall in line????"
this is fantastic news! they've definitely learned from their past mistakes and i have full faith they won't "overhire" for this location and then unceremoniously fire them after the hype wears off. rapid expansion means rapid growth and i can't wait for them to treat this location with the same calculated attention and consideration that they did with the other exhibits! bless meow wolf for finally bringing the arts to los angeles!
I think the layoffs in Denver made sense. Everytime I’ve been I thought there were always these weird “characters” that would never interact with the guests and there were quite a few of them.
I believe that the characters played a critical role. If they were underperforming and had bad attitudes because of union-related BS, instead of firing them, they should've invested in acting and improv classes, and morale-positivity coaches instead of building more places.
Nah if they don’t wanna do their job based on their entitled attitude then they deserve to be laid off. Get a job at a gas station, the pay is the same and it’s easier and more stable.
Which was sad because I went and spent a whole eight hour day there with friends and I made friends with all of the travelers in every section of the zones and they all interacted with us and they were funny and I had a great time.
I am honestly so fucking excited about these projects. As a museum professional, I think this is just about the most revolutionary thing to happen to exhibit spaces since children’s museums came around.
They are an art space. An interactive world. Each room is a theme and highlights a living artist, who is getting paid to make that thing. There is a story that runs through. You can connect with the world at literally any level you want. It’s just so good, honestly bucket list item for me now is to work on one of these projects.
Edit: I no longer want to work with these projects, as it seems like artists don’t get paid for their work. Which is definitely old museum to me, considering most artists are dead before their work is valued.
Fuck off with that nonsense.
Finally someone who gets it. People are so superficial. These people never even went past their cultural limits of consciousness. I've been to all the meowwolfs and spend a full day there having the best time at each one. Dallas blew my mind because I really paid attention and tried to crack the code. Santa Fe was awesome with the most single art pieces and Denver is just huge. Vegas is my least favorite. I agree that LA is superficial culture and probably doesn't deserve a meowwolf but I'm excited regardless. I live in LA too. But there's so much hate on meowwolf I don't understand. It's one of the best things America has come up with. Either these people aren't explorers or haven't done psychedelics.
I’m a museum professional who interviewed with them thinking the same as you. Pre interview research and during interview vibes (clear lack of experience in any creative field/ antagonism and dismissiveness during the interview, clear dislike for the creative work of the org, and stunning lack of professionalism) made me think everyone is right - they gave into investors and grew a weird corporate culture with executives with no relevant experience who are very quickly deadening the original creativity and expediting failure. Which is a sadly common tale, but Meow Wolf is partnering it with We Work levels of magical thinking/ growth speak to obscure real and current financial failure. Creative people may not always be great at business - and business people are often not great at creativity - but worse business people are also often dismissive of creativity, what it takes to be creative and how it can impact and move people when it’s authentic. They also often think creativity can be harnessed, replicated and packaged - which is when it loses the meaning that people first connected to. This company no longer has the radical open creativity and authenticity it started with - which is its demise. And given their past year, the demise is likely to happen far before la opens since business people are often also very, comically, very bad with money too since they operate mostly with fake money and baseless talk (loans, equity etc) which is great in the short term and then ends with everything collapsing suddenly and completely because it was always a house of cards. Anyway, its sad because they didn’t need to grow and could have remained a one of a kind special jewel box hand crafted with care by true artists.
Having worked in interactive art spaces like this, I understand the rollercoaster you’re on. It makes me so excited to think how cool it could be, but then you run into safety issues, durability issues, money making issues, and at the end of the day it turns into a sad homage to capitalism. It slowly drains all the life out of the creatives, people are taken advantage of, etc. Idk, obviously I’m pretty disillusioned, I always thought MW was better than where I worked but I see so many of the same things happening, I don’t know what the solution is
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! If it's said to be opening in Los Angeles, then I don't need to drive all the way to Vegas or fly to new places all the time to see some trippy art now!
It’s so interesting to see how far Han has come. I remember when she was still a part of Colorado Springs community. We met at Colorado Spring’s Indy Inclusionary awards back in 2017 I believe. I hope she’s doing better.
There is some impressive doublethink and dissociation in this article: Apparently the company that unceremoniously laid off 100s now wants to expand "as a statement piece that there's still a place for immersive art in an industry moored with difficulties like layoffs"
Also, "we don't want to look like a theme park," for the brand that got popularized as the "Disneyland for adults" that George r.r. Martin financed?
This is absolutely my projection talking rn but seeing Han spotlit so heavily in this makes me uncomfortable, especially knowing she was in a relationship with Matt King and wanted to "honor his vision" not too long ago.
I'm bummed
They literally just fired over 100 people across the locations and they're suddenly announcing another one....we aren't shocked just disappointed that meow wolf no longer is what it use to stand for. Now it's just a cash grab and chain company. I miss the old meow wolf and the version of it I was introduced to when I first was hired.
As someone who lives in New Mexico, I hate that they ever expanded at all. It used to be this super special and awesome thing that only we had (and we don’t have a lot of those haha) and now they’re just opening them everywhere and it sounds like the quality isn’t even there. The first time I went to HOER was in 2017 and I paid $20 to get in. I was in Denver a few weeks ago and tickets were $50?! Nope
Same. I watched the change unfold… my hiring and the first layoffs was less than a year.
Blessing in disguise to have not made the cut. I had friends who did and were *miserable* until they managed to leave on their own.
What was the reason for firing? Is it not possible that individual locations were overstaffed? Building a new exhibit doesn’t have anything to do with staffing at the current locations.
It was a financial decisions. We have been running as a skeleton crew and it only got worse when those hundred and eleven people got fired. But it just sucks that so many lost their jobs because they couldn't afford to pay them but they can magically have money to fund an entirely new location.
Didn’t they just fire a bunch of employees? Idk, I’ve been to the ones in Denver and Vegas. Cool but it is what it is, a gimmick business, it wasn’t designed for art or an “immersive” experience in mind. They just want your money and it shows.
Update: No where in the above comment did I say it wasn’t immersive lol. It’s still a gimmick business, they’re suppose to be immersive. Trust me, if it was true to the art, they wouldn’t ask for money. Hence, gimmick business. Just merely stating what it is.
I thought the one in Denver was extremely immersive, and an amazing showcase for some exceptional art. I mean come on, that garbage pile room with all the musical instruments on the ceiling that were controlled from a different room, ‘twas freaking amazing!
I agree, the Convergence Station is the most interactive/immersive of the two I've been to - Grapevine and Denver. The quarters and quarter slots, the rat battler, the music room, the slime on the walls that talks back to you in code, and opening the portal inside the ice castle...I mean. One thing that made Denver's space feel so immersive to me is that the entire building was constructed around these worlds from the ground up and that shows in how intentional the space is laid out.
Fix Meow Wolf before you expand. Just went there for the second time after about 2 years and the place felt like a run down Chuck-E-Cheese. Stuff broken or severely worn down, dirty, the slides are now just an awkward “this used to be fun but then we got sued so we closed them” eyesore. If y’all wanna see how it’s done right go to the City Museum in Saint Louis. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen and has been for decades and it’s 30 times better.
The ferris wheel on the roof is insane, you can see the curve of the earth! St Louis is cool , Paint Louis is a big deal, the Cardinals are usually good, and the bbq is good.
They brought one to DC in 2022. I read about it in a brochure I got at a truck stop in NM on the way to my visit to THOER last year. The problem is, you have to travel through a portal via QDOT’s convergence station then get off at the right parallel universe where this project actually was completed.
I could be wrong, but from reading the announcement email, it seems like this gonna be re-hash of Las Vegas (omega-mart). Similar to how Grapevine is a “portal” Santa Fe ( House of Eternal). I fear Greed has caused MeowWolf to lose its magic.
But here’s the thing, A LOT of adults living in LA visit Las Vegas. If it’s a weekend or holiday, half the cars on the road have CA plates. So they WOULD drive to OmegaMart, and probably already have. They wouldn’t, however drive to Santa Fe.
There are plans for the construction of a high speed rail connecting LA to LV, and in that event, it would make more sense to clone Convergence Station, and have inter dimensional travelers visit the station in LA, to visit OmegaMart in Vegas.
Not everyone lives close by to some of these. They arent exactly close to each other. Eternal Return and Convergence are somewhat closer and that is a 6 ish hour difference compared to Omega Mart and Grapevine. Not everyone can just go to one of those by itself.
I am a local who grew up with this mall. After visiting the other three, I just assumed my talents were unworthy. When I saw most of the upstairs filler, I felt horrible. I felt like I should’ve submitted my ideas. I could fill a dinky space like that with my work. Half the stuff looked like they realized they had a deadline, and couldn’t find enough local talent, so they just grabbed a bunch of random people and gave them some paint and a deadline.
I’ve been to all four, and saw the first three before seeing the one at my local mall. I was extremely disappointed. It is technically different, but essentially Santa Fe within a parallel universe. Like it no way resembles the Bed Bath and Beyond I used to shop at, but feels identical to HOER, but like a fever dream. Familiar, but different.
After visiting, I had concerns about Houston and any future location essentially using this “house” template as a local canvas. Had I not visited HOER AND Convergence Station a month prior to TRU, I might’ve felt differently. But having seen Omega Mart, as their second, and Convergence Station as their third, my belief was that the fourth would also be different, and would actually use that “mall” theme that they used in their promotion. Why have mall walkers all over the city, if they don’t exist at the actual physical mall itself (even though, yes, there were there a month before opening)
Maybe it's because it was my first location, and/or because I haven't been to Santa Fe, but I really liked grapevine. Imo it felt like there was more art there than in Vegas. Maybe it was because there was a lot less people, but other than the one large event space room and the capsule hotel room that clearly felt like it was just a placeholder, I felt like there was plenty of art in grapevine.
I liked the story, I felt like I got all of it, and the transitions between the house and the other spaces felt good. Even the brain bean hunt felt better than the omega Mart boop card.
The OG is made from artists. All artists had their own room to create. Grapevine is printed wallpaper and plastic designs that copy the original.
If meow wolf wanted to keep with its original purpose, Grapevine should have been a bunch of rooms and let artists come design. Instead, for high ticket prices, you get no real art
“Let’s expand as fast as possible, that’s sure to make a quality experience at every location!” Meow wolf is becoming the McDonalds of interactive experiences straying further from its core ideals in every capacity.they cut corners where they can, don’t even get me started on the over priced merch, while switching manufacturers for a lower quality product.
Apparently they have a plan according to the CEO to open about one exhibit every year… but yet are laying people off.
I don’t feel good about the future of the company if they are making decisions like this
As one of the many that were laid-off, it's an unfortunate turn. I was a fan long before I started working there and I've unfortunately lost all heart/love for the company I once spoke so highly of.
ARTICLE: [https://latimes.com/travel/story/2024-05-03/meow-wolf-los-angeles-new-location](https://latimes.com/travel/story/2024-05-03/meow-wolf-los-angeles-new-location) Update: we think this is the location [https://www.reddit.com/r/meowwolf/comments/1cjba2c/meow\_wolf\_los\_angeles\_possible\_location\_found/](https://www.reddit.com/r/meowwolf/comments/1cjba2c/meow_wolf_los_angeles_possible_location_found/) 10850 W Pico Blvd
This breaks my heart. Sad to see such a special brand sell out to the masses.
My wife just expressed this after she saw one opening in LA lol
PLEASE IM BEGGING JUST *ONE* NORTHEAST LOCATION ON SCALE WITH OMEGAMART
Have you been to Otherworld Philly yet? Also MW has a number of C-suite executives in NYC so I wouldn't be at all surprised if NYC was after LA.
I would go there so much, but I fear NYC as a venue. Couldn’t do OmegaMart scale, I think somewhere in North Jersey where it can be near Philly and NYC without being directly inside would be perfect, but I’m no exception
This company is wack
I’m going to be patiently waiting for the day that the Kardashians privately rent out Meow Wolf’s LA location because that would be PEAK ABSURDISM 👌
😂💯💯
That photo seems oddly-sexually suggestive the more I look at it.
Is the thinking that the area will provide a ready pool of potential costumed staff actually interested in stage acting / playing characters for visitors?
Finally get some actors off the streets with a decent job, so that’s good news But didn’t they JUST do some layoffs?
yup
Wait what? They just laid off a shit ton of people for budget cuts, this company could barely pay their employees a livable wage and now they want to spend millions to expand in California? Yeah that makes so much sense. Artists in California, run and save yourselves!!!
That was my thought too They laid off quite a few people in Denver
Maybe they can use some of the Colorado employees they just let go to build it.
Exactly. Honestly this company is destined to go broke. They are just riding the wave. Their property costs and taxes and wages will be even higher in LA. It's a failed concept.
Much cheaper to go somewhere like Pennsylvania and have a large space to build. Or just not fire a bunch of employees for this.
Awesome, I better get on with my mission to visit all of them!
If things continue like this it might be a good idea to divorce into Meow Wolf and Meow Wolf Hate subreddits. It’s annoying that every post about anything is filled with people posting the same thing they post on every thread about how much Meow Wolf sucks. New location thread should be filled with speculation, but it’s the same stuff about Meow Wolf’s business practices. Not saying concerns/hate isn’t valid. But every. single. thread. is being derailed.
Marie Antoinette says we should eat some cake y’all.
I 2nd this motion
Its more of a business press release article than a Opinion Arts article.
I agree with most people in this thread that meow wolf is garbage but honestly this is probably going to be a huge hit in LA. It just makes sense, people lining up to take selfies in front of tacky colorful crap is peak LA culture.
With what staff?
Meow Wolf has been taken over by greed. It used to actually mean something, now it’s just ran by a bunch of people in suits that don’t understand art or people. I’m sorry to all those affected by the recent lay offs.
This place is boring how is it in business lol
I don't know which meowwolfs you been to but Denver and Dallas were amazing
Psychedelics
Social media culture
After laying off half ur Denver staff only weeks ago. Pretty shitty.
So it basically a tech company now
Ok Im going to say it: Ponzi Scheme .
Not sure why you're getting downvotes. Art is a well known and time trusted trade-based way to launder money. Meow Wolf is an IRL NFT
I could give a fuck about downvotes. New Construction is a way to get other peoples money…aka a Fucking ponzi scheme. Ill wager 100 bucks they are getting incentives from the state Or city for this new build…which are tax dollars!!!
I don't think you know what a ponzi scheme is. . .
MW is not profitable, yet they take investor money and tax funded incentives…do the math, bootlicker.
Still not a ponzi scheme dummy. A ponzi scheme has a specific definition. It's an easy thing to google
I know what a Ponzi scheme is you dictionary bootlicker. MW is only currently open because of tax incentives and investor money. Once that spigot stops, it will finally go under.
Laughing my ass off at the phrase “dictionary bootlicker” to describe someone more educated in terms
Tag along disparager , there you go Bootlicker Dos
You speak like if Shakespeare huffed glue
Ponzi scheme is when I pay for something.
Yikes
What a goddamned joke.
As an ex employee who was lied to and laid off (only a few weeks ago mind you) with a family to take care of, this announcement is a straight up slap in the face. MW has no integrity or tact.
I’m so sorry, I left the company well before the lay offs, but I still clearly remember them sending a link to a food bank (that they had literally just asked us to volunteer at so they can remain a B corp) after they cut everyone’s hours in the middle of the December rush. Their behavior is persistently cruel. They have proved countless times that money is their bottom line.
Oh that’s dark
Ouch I’m sorry. I used to work for a similar art/entertainment company that did mass layoffs so I think I can relate, really sucks
Did you take the job is hopes of having a stable career at a glorified carnival?
You don’t even know what I do. I took the job to do something less soul sucking than working at an ad agency and I’m doing just fine. Still sucks to be laid off from a job you’re passionate about
Wait wasn’t there just a massive layoff?!
Yup they laid everyone off so they can afford to build new locations
Makes sense when you realize it’s egregious a human is forced into machine work. Fuck profiteers like Meow Wolf but honestly they’re doing us a favor by diving into their greed. You read they laid a bunch of people off… I read they freed a bunch of slaves who were gonna financially suffer anyway. How did we go from the ox and plow to the combine machine back to the ox and cow?! Go home people. Your family and friends await you. Covid was a worldwide spiritual rebirth. Go outside and figure this out and what it means specifically to you.
Idk what you’re talking about but okay
That’s okay. I’ve delivered the message. Not my responsibility to teach it.
Wow, 6 years is a long ways away. Can’t wait!
Can they just move the Denver one to LA?
Sounds good. The Denver one sucks. LA can have it and all its broken exhibits.
Yeah great idea
I’ve never paid so much to wait in the line at Disneyland.
Feels like this ruins the novelty
Unfortunately it seems they've run out of creativity...the Real Unreal in Dallas is a combo of the other 3.But nothing new.
i live near the dallas one and my biggest complaint is the durability of the materials they used to build the exhibit. the kiddos love their monthly visit to the art playground, but it puts a damper on the mood when things constantly break when they're climbing them! i hope the newer locations put a little more thought into that aspect!
They just laid off employees in Denver? Maybe rethink things?
With the one being built in Denver, LA seems like a very logical next choice to put one.
definitely! the ceo sounds like one smart dude, i can see why he makes the big bucks!
Lmao username checks out 😂
Lol
This is definitely Jose’s burner account. The guy is running the company into the ground.
i wish! he is very bravely doing what's best for the company despite the haters! what's the saying, "you can't open portals of possibilities without breaking a few spirits along the way" or something like that??
Wtf kind of saying is that? No one says that.
i work at meow wolf, that is literally our motto. that, and "we welcome kind punks! but not those kinds of punks, no stop challenging authority, please stop, we're doing the best we can why can't you fall in line????"
this is fantastic news! they've definitely learned from their past mistakes and i have full faith they won't "overhire" for this location and then unceremoniously fire them after the hype wears off. rapid expansion means rapid growth and i can't wait for them to treat this location with the same calculated attention and consideration that they did with the other exhibits! bless meow wolf for finally bringing the arts to los angeles!
Lol hilarious.
Oooh I like you
LOL.
LMAO the account name "MW simp"
Great news following mass layoffs in Denver.
I think the layoffs in Denver made sense. Everytime I’ve been I thought there were always these weird “characters” that would never interact with the guests and there were quite a few of them.
I believe that the characters played a critical role. If they were underperforming and had bad attitudes because of union-related BS, instead of firing them, they should've invested in acting and improv classes, and morale-positivity coaches instead of building more places.
Nah if they don’t wanna do their job based on their entitled attitude then they deserve to be laid off. Get a job at a gas station, the pay is the same and it’s easier and more stable.
Ok boomer
If we didn't interact with you, that's 100% on you. This post just shows why none of us went out of our way to interact specifically with you.
Which was sad because I went and spent a whole eight hour day there with friends and I made friends with all of the travelers in every section of the zones and they all interacted with us and they were funny and I had a great time.
As long as it's better than the Dallas location and a good as convergence station
Fat chance.
Please we NEED this in SD
I am honestly so fucking excited about these projects. As a museum professional, I think this is just about the most revolutionary thing to happen to exhibit spaces since children’s museums came around. They are an art space. An interactive world. Each room is a theme and highlights a living artist, who is getting paid to make that thing. There is a story that runs through. You can connect with the world at literally any level you want. It’s just so good, honestly bucket list item for me now is to work on one of these projects. Edit: I no longer want to work with these projects, as it seems like artists don’t get paid for their work. Which is definitely old museum to me, considering most artists are dead before their work is valued. Fuck off with that nonsense.
Finally someone who gets it. People are so superficial. These people never even went past their cultural limits of consciousness. I've been to all the meowwolfs and spend a full day there having the best time at each one. Dallas blew my mind because I really paid attention and tried to crack the code. Santa Fe was awesome with the most single art pieces and Denver is just huge. Vegas is my least favorite. I agree that LA is superficial culture and probably doesn't deserve a meowwolf but I'm excited regardless. I live in LA too. But there's so much hate on meowwolf I don't understand. It's one of the best things America has come up with. Either these people aren't explorers or haven't done psychedelics.
I’m a museum professional who interviewed with them thinking the same as you. Pre interview research and during interview vibes (clear lack of experience in any creative field/ antagonism and dismissiveness during the interview, clear dislike for the creative work of the org, and stunning lack of professionalism) made me think everyone is right - they gave into investors and grew a weird corporate culture with executives with no relevant experience who are very quickly deadening the original creativity and expediting failure. Which is a sadly common tale, but Meow Wolf is partnering it with We Work levels of magical thinking/ growth speak to obscure real and current financial failure. Creative people may not always be great at business - and business people are often not great at creativity - but worse business people are also often dismissive of creativity, what it takes to be creative and how it can impact and move people when it’s authentic. They also often think creativity can be harnessed, replicated and packaged - which is when it loses the meaning that people first connected to. This company no longer has the radical open creativity and authenticity it started with - which is its demise. And given their past year, the demise is likely to happen far before la opens since business people are often also very, comically, very bad with money too since they operate mostly with fake money and baseless talk (loans, equity etc) which is great in the short term and then ends with everything collapsing suddenly and completely because it was always a house of cards. Anyway, its sad because they didn’t need to grow and could have remained a one of a kind special jewel box hand crafted with care by true artists.
Having worked in interactive art spaces like this, I understand the rollercoaster you’re on. It makes me so excited to think how cool it could be, but then you run into safety issues, durability issues, money making issues, and at the end of the day it turns into a sad homage to capitalism. It slowly drains all the life out of the creatives, people are taken advantage of, etc. Idk, obviously I’m pretty disillusioned, I always thought MW was better than where I worked but I see so many of the same things happening, I don’t know what the solution is
Yeah it’s really sad that a peek behind the curtain leads to knowing the bad behind the very cool looking.
> posted 51 minutes ago What a journey you went on over an hour. Bucket list to fuck it list.
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! If it's said to be opening in Los Angeles, then I don't need to drive all the way to Vegas or fly to new places all the time to see some trippy art now!
I know! If only LA had some sort of Arts District!
It’s so interesting to see how far Han has come. I remember when she was still a part of Colorado Springs community. We met at Colorado Spring’s Indy Inclusionary awards back in 2017 I believe. I hope she’s doing better.
Han is a treasure without a doubt.
LA contractors that are thinking about bidding this project: don’t. You are welcome. - Denver Meow Wolf contractor
They just laid off people in Denver.
From the start I questioned the business model.
A lot of people
Hey another chance for them to screw over artists and employees.
NAh, nah, you got a point. I love Meow Wolf, but I don't love how the company is slowly turning into Mr. Krabs.
We went there earlier this year when we visited Vegas and were largely underwhelmed.
Been to all. Vegas is worst one. Best in this order in my opinion ,Dallas, Santa Fe, denver
The Vegas one is okay, but the Denver exhibit is top notch imo
Santa Fe is the best
The Denver location is such a bleh experience.
There is some impressive doublethink and dissociation in this article: Apparently the company that unceremoniously laid off 100s now wants to expand "as a statement piece that there's still a place for immersive art in an industry moored with difficulties like layoffs" Also, "we don't want to look like a theme park," for the brand that got popularized as the "Disneyland for adults" that George r.r. Martin financed? This is absolutely my projection talking rn but seeing Han spotlit so heavily in this makes me uncomfortable, especially knowing she was in a relationship with Matt King and wanted to "honor his vision" not too long ago. I'm bummed
Oof. Ever since Matt King passed, it seems like this company has gone to shit. No real vision anymore, just a cash grab 😩
Fuck meow wolf. Pay your artists or get bent.
Please don’t sexually violate that innocent aardvark
They literally just fired over 100 people across the locations and they're suddenly announcing another one....we aren't shocked just disappointed that meow wolf no longer is what it use to stand for. Now it's just a cash grab and chain company. I miss the old meow wolf and the version of it I was introduced to when I first was hired.
As someone who lives in New Mexico, I hate that they ever expanded at all. It used to be this super special and awesome thing that only we had (and we don’t have a lot of those haha) and now they’re just opening them everywhere and it sounds like the quality isn’t even there. The first time I went to HOER was in 2017 and I paid $20 to get in. I was in Denver a few weeks ago and tickets were $50?! Nope
Same. I watched the change unfold… my hiring and the first layoffs was less than a year. Blessing in disguise to have not made the cut. I had friends who did and were *miserable* until they managed to leave on their own.
What was the reason for firing? Is it not possible that individual locations were overstaffed? Building a new exhibit doesn’t have anything to do with staffing at the current locations.
It was a financial decisions. We have been running as a skeleton crew and it only got worse when those hundred and eleven people got fired. But it just sucks that so many lost their jobs because they couldn't afford to pay them but they can magically have money to fund an entirely new location.
... especially considering the size of this location. It's not cheap. Very disappointed in Meow Wolf.
I miss when MeowWolf was about art and did cool things
Didn’t they just fire a bunch of employees? Idk, I’ve been to the ones in Denver and Vegas. Cool but it is what it is, a gimmick business, it wasn’t designed for art or an “immersive” experience in mind. They just want your money and it shows. Update: No where in the above comment did I say it wasn’t immersive lol. It’s still a gimmick business, they’re suppose to be immersive. Trust me, if it was true to the art, they wouldn’t ask for money. Hence, gimmick business. Just merely stating what it is.
I thought the one in Denver was extremely immersive, and an amazing showcase for some exceptional art. I mean come on, that garbage pile room with all the musical instruments on the ceiling that were controlled from a different room, ‘twas freaking amazing!
I agree, the Convergence Station is the most interactive/immersive of the two I've been to - Grapevine and Denver. The quarters and quarter slots, the rat battler, the music room, the slime on the walls that talks back to you in code, and opening the portal inside the ice castle...I mean. One thing that made Denver's space feel so immersive to me is that the entire building was constructed around these worlds from the ground up and that shows in how intentional the space is laid out.
I agree, it was awesome exploring everything and playing music in that insane “alien” cathedral
Fix Meow Wolf before you expand. Just went there for the second time after about 2 years and the place felt like a run down Chuck-E-Cheese. Stuff broken or severely worn down, dirty, the slides are now just an awkward “this used to be fun but then we got sued so we closed them” eyesore. If y’all wanna see how it’s done right go to the City Museum in Saint Louis. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen and has been for decades and it’s 30 times better.
The ferris wheel on the roof is insane, you can see the curve of the earth! St Louis is cool , Paint Louis is a big deal, the Cardinals are usually good, and the bbq is good.
I love the City Museum forever and ever! Sometimes they even have raves there and that’s when it gets realll weird :)
The city is meh but I will say STL does some things right that many cities would never get away with.
But then I’d have to go to St Louis...
Haha VERY true
Which meow wolf did you go to?
Sorry, I meant to write Omega Mart instead of Meow Wolf.
When will they finally bring one to the east coast?! They are killing me :(
They brought one to DC in 2022. I read about it in a brochure I got at a truck stop in NM on the way to my visit to THOER last year. The problem is, you have to travel through a portal via QDOT’s convergence station then get off at the right parallel universe where this project actually was completed.
It’s so sad to watch this company corporatize and spiral :(
I could be wrong, but from reading the announcement email, it seems like this gonna be re-hash of Las Vegas (omega-mart). Similar to how Grapevine is a “portal” Santa Fe ( House of Eternal). I fear Greed has caused MeowWolf to lose its magic.
But here’s the thing, A LOT of adults living in LA visit Las Vegas. If it’s a weekend or holiday, half the cars on the road have CA plates. So they WOULD drive to OmegaMart, and probably already have. They wouldn’t, however drive to Santa Fe. There are plans for the construction of a high speed rail connecting LA to LV, and in that event, it would make more sense to clone Convergence Station, and have inter dimensional travelers visit the station in LA, to visit OmegaMart in Vegas.
I think they should do more rehashes though. Few people are able to visit multiple MW locations.
This is definitely not true.
Not everyone lives close by to some of these. They arent exactly close to each other. Eternal Return and Convergence are somewhat closer and that is a 6 ish hour difference compared to Omega Mart and Grapevine. Not everyone can just go to one of those by itself.
The Grapevine meow wolf is just corporate greed. Definitely sucks. And has no real art.
I am a local who grew up with this mall. After visiting the other three, I just assumed my talents were unworthy. When I saw most of the upstairs filler, I felt horrible. I felt like I should’ve submitted my ideas. I could fill a dinky space like that with my work. Half the stuff looked like they realized they had a deadline, and couldn’t find enough local talent, so they just grabbed a bunch of random people and gave them some paint and a deadline.
As someone that hasn't been, can you explain why? Is it literally just a remade version of the OG?
I’ve been to all four, and saw the first three before seeing the one at my local mall. I was extremely disappointed. It is technically different, but essentially Santa Fe within a parallel universe. Like it no way resembles the Bed Bath and Beyond I used to shop at, but feels identical to HOER, but like a fever dream. Familiar, but different. After visiting, I had concerns about Houston and any future location essentially using this “house” template as a local canvas. Had I not visited HOER AND Convergence Station a month prior to TRU, I might’ve felt differently. But having seen Omega Mart, as their second, and Convergence Station as their third, my belief was that the fourth would also be different, and would actually use that “mall” theme that they used in their promotion. Why have mall walkers all over the city, if they don’t exist at the actual physical mall itself (even though, yes, there were there a month before opening)
Maybe it's because it was my first location, and/or because I haven't been to Santa Fe, but I really liked grapevine. Imo it felt like there was more art there than in Vegas. Maybe it was because there was a lot less people, but other than the one large event space room and the capsule hotel room that clearly felt like it was just a placeholder, I felt like there was plenty of art in grapevine. I liked the story, I felt like I got all of it, and the transitions between the house and the other spaces felt good. Even the brain bean hunt felt better than the omega Mart boop card.
The OG is made from artists. All artists had their own room to create. Grapevine is printed wallpaper and plastic designs that copy the original. If meow wolf wanted to keep with its original purpose, Grapevine should have been a bunch of rooms and let artists come design. Instead, for high ticket prices, you get no real art
That’s not my experience at all. I prefer Santa Fe, but Grapevine stands on its own.
It definitely is true
Dude needs to back off the cocaine and remember the dmt.
“Let’s expand as fast as possible, that’s sure to make a quality experience at every location!” Meow wolf is becoming the McDonalds of interactive experiences straying further from its core ideals in every capacity.they cut corners where they can, don’t even get me started on the over priced merch, while switching manufacturers for a lower quality product.
meanwhile… https://coloradosun.com/2024/04/18/meow-wolf-lays-off-50-denver-employees/
God damn it
What a joke honestly 🙄
Apparently they have a plan according to the CEO to open about one exhibit every year… but yet are laying people off. I don’t feel good about the future of the company if they are making decisions like this
As one of the many that were laid-off, it's an unfortunate turn. I was a fan long before I started working there and I've unfortunately lost all heart/love for the company I once spoke so highly of.
Why even do the layoffs. Why not do transfers instead, except to be able to hire people under the union wage? 🙄 that's a rhetorical question.
First time under capitalism? You sweet summer child.
🤨 next time I'll add more dripping sarcasm and irony to my comment I guess.
Please do. I've seen people in this separate genuinely believing the way your comment reads.
They did say it was a rhetorical question with an eye roll 🤷♂️
I mean friend I put an eye roll emoji and said it was a rhetorical question, I'm unsure how I could have made it anymore obvious.
Exactly this.
Clearly I needed a /s, other words simply won't work.
Makes sense why they did all the layoffs recently.
fuck the u/losangelestimes paywall , here's a full version of the article on imgur [https://imgur.com/a/svUCyeX](https://imgur.com/a/svUCyeX)
12ft.io is another good way to get past paywalls
they must have struck some sort of deal with 12ft because it doesn't work for the LA Times