Meow Wolf Grapevine, an arts and entertainment venue in North Texas, has opened the Matt King Mystery Center, a multipurpose space that will host community programs and events.
Matt King Mystery Center at Meow Wolf Grapevine. Photo: Kaitlyn Armendáriz. Image Courtesy of Meow Wolf Grapevine.
Named in honor of the late Matt King, an artist and co-founder of Meow Wolf, the center is the second community art space the organization has opened. The first, named Rainbow Rainbow, opened at Meow Wolf’s Santa Fe location in May 2023. Prior to his death in 2022, Mr. King was the company’s Senior Vice President of Creative Direction. In this role, he served as a lead artist on 34 projects around the U.S. leading up to the 2016 opening in Santa Fe of House of Eternal Return, the organization’s first permanent installation.. Additionally, Mr. King was a significant leader in developing and bringing to fruition Omega Mart (Las Vegas, 2018), Kaleidoscope (Denver, 2019), and Convergence Station (Denver, 2021) installations.
According to a press release from Meow Wolf, “A North Texas native, [Matt King] was the first to wrangle over-filled trash cans, sweep dirty floors, organize tool boxes, and deliver motivational speeches to dozens of artists, citing that every job was equally important, no person on site was more crucial than the other, and every small piece counted towards the greater whole. Matt’s influence on the trajectory of Meow Wolf cannot be overstated. He was a compass.”
It continues, “The Matt King Mystery Center is a creative haven within the exhibition, reflecting his profound impact on Meow Wolf and his love for teaching others the joy of art and collaboration. The name Mystery Center is an homage to his lifelong studies in philosophy, magic, esoteric religious traditions, mythology, and science fiction.”
The center, which can be transformed to host workshops, artist talks, and other events, will present programming developed by Meow Wolf as well as community partners, and will be available for private bookings. Starting Saturday, February 3, the center will host open studio hours on Saturdays and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., which will be available to all Meow Wolf attendees. Additionally, beginning on February 20, Meow Wolf will host a monthly workshop series with Trade Oak Cliff, an artist cooperative studio and shop.
Kaitlyn Armendáriz, Meow Wolf Grapevine’s Impact Manager, remarked, “The Matt King Mystery Center stands as a testament to our commitment to nurture positive community growth. Through a focus on creativity and collaboration, our aim is to establish a place that goes beyond the conventional, positively impacting the DFW community.”
The center debuted with a large mural titled We Are Home by Dallas-based artist Daniel “DIY” Yanez. With vibrant colors and an array of patterns, the wall-sized artwork reflects the artist’s widely-known style while fitting in with Meow Wolf’s eccentric visual vocabulary. The imagery depicts Texas flora, including oversized bluebonnets and cacti, while also referencing cowboy culture. In the background, a silhouetted figure wearing a hat represents Mr. King and his legacy.
At the January 30 launch of the new space, Mr. Yanez explained, “When I look at this mural, I definitely see that we have experienced life, and Matt King is on the other side of the mountain. He’s seeing the same view I am. I’m on this side; he’s on that side. We’re both looking down at the same experience. Although it might be different perspectives, we can relate to each other and bring our lives into some kind of harmony with each other. We’ve made it to the same point in life, the same point in location, and everything out of some weird coincidence. And I think it’s awesome.”
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