The city of Grapevine is known for its wine and for its love of all things Christmas.
But it's about to land itself another distinction as a destination in the art world, thanks to the opening of Meow Wolf Grapevine this Friday at Grapevine Mills Mall.
It's just another sign that North Texas is a hotbed for companies and major attractions looking for success.
"Meow Wolf Grapevine has chosen to come to the DFW Metroplex because we do have such a rich and vibrant arts community. And I think it's so important that we recognize that there are artists interwoven throughout the fabric of DFW,” said the exhibit’s general manager, Kelly Schwartz.
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Artist Rachel Townsend Cerny is proud of her hometown.
"I’ve been in love with the area ever since I was a kid,” she said.
That’s why she opened the R Town Art Gallery on Grapevine's Main Street.
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So when Meow Wolf, a New Mexico-based and world-renowned art collective, announced it selected Grapevine as the site of its next major location, Townsend Cerny knew this could be a game changer for the local art scene.
"Meow Wolf is such a big powerhouse for artists. We do have so much talent here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is something I personally have been trying to shed light on,” she said. “I think Meow Wolf is just adding to that awareness of how much talent that we have here in North Texas.“
Meow Wolf is an interactive and immersive art experience, unlike anything the DFW Metroplex has probably ever seen before. The artist collective was founded in 2008 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it eventually created its first permanent installation in 2016. The exhibit was built in a vacant bowling alley and featured elaborately decorated rooms, a full-scale house with multiple “portals” leading to other strange rooms, and interactive pathways all revolving around a sci-fi story. The concept has since become so popular, it expanded to other cities like Denver and Las Vegas.
Meow Wolf eventually evolved into an entertainment company but the brand has maintained a large reputation in the art world for its ongoing efforts to work with local artists in every installation it opens.
“I’m a big fan of Meow Wolf, been following them for years. So knowing that they were coming to our neck of the woods in our neighborhood was super exciting for Texas,” said Will Heron, a Dallas-based artist who now serves as Meow Wolf Grapevine’s artist liaison.
From sculptors to muralists, sound artists and video game designers, the Grapevine location features more than 40-Texas based artists – mostly from the DFW area.
"It's just really exciting for them to get this opportunity to work with a company that has the backing of Meow Wolf. Getting the budget, getting the freedom to explore,” said Heron. “We provide the space for them to dream big for one, and really create their hearts desire for what immersive art looks like for them.”
The artists have continued the storyline from the other locations in Grapevine, which is being called The Real Unreal. Some of the wild interactive features include a full-scale house with a seemingly normal kitchen refrigerator that one can walk through to more portal doors. Visitors can open the washing machine and dryer doors to slide through a light tunnel into another room of strange scenes, lights, music and walkthroughs. Just about piece inside the space is meant to be touched, opened, or investigated to understand more about the story.
“They’re not ready. They’re not ready for what’s in store when they enter inside here. This is all about discovery and finding your inner artist," said Heron. "I always challenge friends and visitors to explore every nook and cranny. Look in every detail you can, open every drawer and peek your head through every portal. Do everything you can to explore and try to dig up the story that’s trying to be told here."
Schwartz said the company is proud to be a new part of the North Texas art community.
“One of the things that we’re really committed to in the future is to be able to continue to work with the artists that are right here in our backyard," she said. "Whether that's through the outreach, programming, having them come on site, or expanding our exhibit in the future and giving them a place to bring their amazing creativity to -- all of that is just so important to us.”
For Townsend Cerny, Meow Wolf showcases the success artists can find in their career.
“I think it’s so huge to showcase that not only are artists able to make it professionally, but art can be anything," she said. "It doesn’t have to be your traditional bowl of fruit -- not that there’s anything wrong with that -- but there’s so many lanes for a creative person to take in life. And I think this is just building awareness for it.”
Overall, the Dallas market has been a hotbed for companies and organizations searching for economic success. Peppa Pig World of Play selected Grapevine for its first theme park location in the U.S. Another park is opening up in North Richland Hills in 2024. This year, Universal Parks & Resorts picked Frisco as the location for its newest theme park and resort.
On the sports front, FIFA selected Dallas to host the World Cup in 2026. Dallas hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four in March. The headlines seem to add up, especially over the last five years due to population growth and a robust economy.
"It's been incredible to see the growth with local families coming in, businesses coming in, and now Meow Wolf. It's just another amazing economic engine to contribute,” Schwartz.
Photos: Meow Wolf's ‘The Real Unreal' opens in Grapevine
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According to Grapevine’s economic development data, more businesses are taking a closer look at Grapevine partly due to the gravity that entertainment like Meow Wolf creates.
Grapevine Mills is in the top 1% of all regional malls in the country for foot traffic when shops, food and attractions like SEA LIFE Grapevine and LEGOland are factored in.
Early estimates for visitor count project 600,000 to 1,000,000 visitors could come to explore Meow Wolf Grapevine in the first year. That would be a 5% to 9% bump in traffic at Grapevine Mills from a single tenant. Last year, Placer.ai estimates that the mall recorded roughly 11.5 million visits.
Grapevine economic officials predict that based on their $45 ticket price, Meow Wolf Grapevine could generate roughly $27 million to $45 million if every one of those 600,000 to 1 million visitors purchased a base ticket and nothing else. That’s a low-end estimate because they’ll also be selling food, beverages, and souvenirs. The in-house café includes menu items from Main Street vendors including JudyPie, Buzzed Bull Creamery and HTeaO.
With annual visitor traffic of over 12 million and economic impacts of $2.5 billion in just Grapevine alone, tourism officials say they're not surprised to see yet another big brand choose North Texas.
"We're a gateway to DFW, a gateway to Texas with DFW Airport right there, so people are already coming in,” said Elizabeth Schrack, communications director for the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Meow Wolf is going to bring in a whole new group of people. They have fans that been obsessed with Las Vegas, Denver and Santa Fe. They want to come to see this. And they'll be able to experience grapevine and all we have to offer."
According to a July report by the city of Grapevine officials, the DFW metroplex plays an important role in maintaining Texas' economic dominance.
“Home to 6.5 million people – and counting – the sprawling cities and suburbs of North Texas can support just about any concept through latent demand and a talented labor force. Geographically, it’s hard to find a more advantageous spot for a physical location, too: the entire continental United States lies within 3 hours by plane, and DFW International Airport makes it easy to step much further away,” states the report.
Meow Wolf Grapevine opened Friday, July 14. The first few days are already sold out but you can still book tickets online for later dates.
For tickets and more information about Meow Wolf and The Real Unreal in Grapevine, visit meowwolf.com.
