Vegas bound
Immersive art installation Meow Wolf heading to Nevada
SANTA FE — The huge Meow Wolf boom continues — now with the announcement of a permanent exhibition in Las Vegas, Nev., coming two weeks after the Santa Fe arts venture made public that it will open a new immersive art installation in Denver.
Meow Wolf Las Vegas is scheduled to open in late 2019 and will be the first tenant of a new development called AREA15 (not to be confused, or maybe so, with Area 51, the mysterious military installation to the north).
The 166,000-square-foot complex, planned as an “immersive bazaar” at a site along Interstate 15 west of the Strip, is supposed to weave “together immersive experiences, themed events, art installations, workshops, pop ups, restaurants, bars and nightlife.”
Meow Wolf Las Vegas will be about twice the size of Santa Fe’s House of Eternal Return at 50,000 square feet, 80 percent intended as exhibition space, mostly on one floor but with some on additional levels, Meow Wolf CEO Vince Kadlubek told the Journal.
On. Jan. 4, Meow Wolf announced its first expansion, a five-story, $50 million exhibition in Denver scheduled to open in early 2020. Kadlubek said both projects “just made sense,” even with the similar timelines.
The House of Eternal Return, an all-ages funhouse that through close examination reveals a strange story about its fictional inhabitants, has been a hit since it opened in March 2016. It drew 400,000 people to a former bowling alley purchased with the help of “Game of Thrones” author George
R.R. Martin and brought in a reported $7 million its first year. Meow Wolf has been contemplating branching out to other cities for at least several months.
The estimated cost of the Las Vegas facility is not yet known, Kadlubek said. He said funding will come from revenue from the House of Eternal Return, AREA15 real estate developers, the New York-based Fisher Brothers firm and other private investors.
Fisher Brothers, which has developed commercial and residential properties in New York and Las Vegas, is working with Beneville Studios, a creative agency also from New York. Kadlubek said the developers approached them about creating an exhibition in the new complex. “They’re trying to do a serious subversion into food, beverage and retail space, and we just felt aligned,” Kadlubek said.
The complex will include an event space to accommodate concerts, festivals and other large gatherings. “Las Vegas is weird, maximalist, an active commentary and a place to be amazed,” Meow Wolf Chief Creative Officer Emily Montoya said. “That’s a lot in common with Meow Wolf.” Kadlubek added, “If we can make something that the local population loves, we feel really good about our success.”
Meow Wolf Las Vegas is selling 20,000 first-week tickets for $60.