Meow Wolf: Spontaneity at Scale
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Having begun as an informal, structureless arts collective in Santa Fe in 2008, Meow Wolf has grown to become a leading creative organization pushing the boundaries of immersive art while creating positive social impact through its business practices. Learn how the firm has accomplished this by attending the 2021 SEGD Conference Experience (Philadelphia, November 4-6) where leaders from Meow Wolf will discuss the challenges of evolving a creative practice at scale.
A house, a supermarket and a transit station—all three are common building types that a passerby might not pay much attention to. But in the hands of Meow Wolf, these three structures become anything but common. Instead, they are transformed into trippy, surreal experiences incorporating the creations of hundreds of artists and designers of all types and backgrounds.
Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Meow Wolf is an arts and entertainment group which creates “immersive and interactive experiences designed to transport audiences into fantastic realms of story and exploration.” Currently, Meow Wolf operates three permanent exhibitions: House of Eternal Return (in Santa Fe), Omega Mart (in Las Vegas, NV) and Convergence Station (in Denver, CO)—each providing visitors with journeys into dream-like environments.
One of the company’s founders, Sean Di Ianni (now Executive Vice President of Blue Sky), along with Ali Rubenstein (Chief Creative Officer and Co-CEO) and Genell Hoechstetter (Senior Creative Director) will give the keynote presentation on Friday November 5th, at the 2021 SEGD Conference Experience. Titled “Space for Expression: Maintaining Spontaneity at Scale,” the keynote will be followed by a discussion moderated by Josh Goldblum, founder and CEO of Bluecadet.
In their keynote, Sean, Ali and Genell will talk about the process of building and operating new immersive exhibitions and artworks from the ground up—and the challenges of doing so at scale as the firm has grown.
Established 13 years ago as a DIY art collective, Meow Wolf now consists of over 900 employees, including hundreds of artists across many disciplines including architecture, sculpture, painting, photography, video production, virtual and augmented reality, music and audio engineering, narrative writing, costuming, performance, and more. Meow Wolf has harnessed these talents in the creation of the Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Denver immersive exhibitions.
In addition to compensating their artists with benefits and fair pay, Meow Wolf also believes in supporting the communities in which they conduct business. The firm is a B Corporation—the only certified B Corporation in the themed entertainment industry.
To learn more about Meow Wolf and its mission, please join us at the 2021 SEGD Conference Experience, November 4-6, in Philadelphia.