The bold strokes inside Meow Wolf Denver’s 90,000-square-foot building, which range from retrofitted cars and buses to dreamlike rooms with floor-to-ceiling sculptures, were created by 120 different artists who have completed nearly 90 projects for the immersive art company, which opened here in 2021.
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But these projects, some of which took years to complete and required significant financial resources, overshadow some of the more intricate details that are part of the densely layered Convergence Station installation. And many of those rely on Meow Wolf’s internal team of craftspeople and workers.
Visitors can’t miss the big strokes in a mascot’s bulging green eyes at the Pizza Pals Playzone, a creepy take on Chuck E. Cheese; or a miniature piece of pink furniture; or a wild-eyed puppet that speaks in an invented language. And yet the folks who repair, operate and maintain those creations at Meow Wolf’s densely layered Convergence Station — celebrating its five-year anniversary on Sept. 17 — also deserve their due.
It’s the details that make Meow Wolf Denver worth visiting more than once, said Brandon Vargas, artist liaison for Convergence Station and an artist himself. “Any time I walk through an exhibit, I continually discover new things that surprise me. There’s nothing better than going on your lunch break after sending 100 emails and realizing, ‘Oh yeah, this is why we’re here.’”
Beginning this week, Convergence Station is using its Galleri art gallery on the fourth floor to highlight the folks who work behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. From Wednesday, July 22, through Aug. 17, the work of Meow Wolf Denver’s internal team will fill the rotating, flexible space Vargas curates with new and original pieces, whether it’s a maintenance worker’s intricate miniatures or a neon-splashed abstract painting.
“The Demi-Decade Exhibition (Part 1)” features artwork by 13 on-site Art & Scenic, Tech, and Maintenance team members, said Erin Barnes, senior director of communications. They’re the lifeblood of the installations, which are split into four themes across the building’s massive footprint at 1338 1st St.
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Vargas’s relatively modest gallery is a quick way to get Meow Wolf’s internal artists such as Talia Da Silva, Grayson Irby, Zee Howard, and Alex Gomez into the space, he said. It’s also a portal into the different paths an artist’s career can take, and proof that a for-profit arts company — however kooky and surreal — can support up-and-comers with profit of their own, Vargas said.
“It’s really awesome to make sure we’re continually testing new aesthetics, and finding opportunities to work with artists outside of these time-intensive installations,” Vargas said. “We always want to get more new artists in here and represented for visitors, outside of the bigger installation.”
The first wave of 13 artists will be followed by another exhibition, dubbed Part 2, with dates and details forthcoming, Barnes said. That one will be centered around a singular project to which each of the artists contributed. If the shows are successful, other Meow Wolf locations in Las Vegas, Texas and New Mexico might follow.
The exhibition is included with general admission, $42-$45 for adults and $36 for kids ages 4 to 12. See meowwolf.com/visit/denver for more details.
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