Meow Wolf: Origin Story(2018)

1h 28m
- Documentary

Release Date: Nov 29, 2018 | Limited

A group of artists in Santa Fe, NM become a DIY collective called Meow Wolf. Their immersive, large-scale exhibitions crack open a profitable niche in the arts industry, even as their social mission is challenged by the demands of rapid success. The group's members navigate fract... Read all

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Releases

Original Release | Nov 29, 2018

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Director & Top Cast

Morgan Capps
Director

Jilann Spitzmiller
Director

George R.R. Martin
Self

Vince Kadlubek
Self

Emily Montoya
Self

Sean Di Ianni
Self

Caity Kennedy

Self

Matt King

Self

Benji Geary

Self

Corvas K. Brinkerhoff II

Self

Golda Blaise

Self

Chris Hilson

Self

Quinn Tincher

Self

Megan Maher

Self

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

This is the origin story of Meow Wolf - the rebellious anarchistic, and psychedelic art collective that began in a Santa Fe basement and within ten years has grown into a multimillion-dollar company.Meow Wolf's members stick together despite times of conflict, fracture, and profound loss. As their shows start making money, members fear this will corrupt their DIY roots, but the group perseveres with a tenacious vision. Aiming to take over a defunct bowling alley with their largest exhibition yet, Meow Wolf hooks the interest of Santa Fe resident celebrity George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones). With his backing, the group begins a multimillion-dollar buildout with more than 140 volunteer creators.Fourteen months later, Meow Wolf opens the House of Eternal Return to wild success. The group hauls in $7 million in the first year and makes the risky decision to hire more than 150 salaried artists.Changed and yet still a chosen family, the founders seek to hold true to their radical nature, even as the company formalizes into a B-Corporation and begins to expand into two other major market cities.The film follows artists whose identities have been shaped within this group dynamic, blowing the lid off stewing conflict between diverse egos, artistic freedom vs organization, individual passion, and the good of the collective. They must walk this fine line between chaos and order, inspiration and mental illness, and finally, success and destruction as they navigate their future together.Hoping to share the new economic model they've discovered with creatives everywhere, Meow Wolf has ambitions to become an alternative arts and entertainment empire to rival Disney, but is still grappling with its own demons even as it evolves into a game-changing presence in the arts.

Storyline

A group of artists in Santa Fe, NM become a DIY collective called Meow Wolf. Their immersive, large-scale exhibitions crack open a profitable niche in the arts industry, even as their social mission is challenged by the demands of rapid success. The group's members navigate fracture and loss for years in pursuit of their idealistic vision. When they spark the interest of George R. R. Martin and receive his support to take over an old bowling alley, Meow Wolf builds a massive exhibition with over 140 artists working at a breakneck pace. With the wild success of the House of Eternal Return, Meow Wolf now faces its own internal turmoil as it begins to change the lives of creatives everywhere.