Meow Wolf, the immersive art experience known for its psychedelic installations, is coming to New York City. The company announced plans to open a nearly 50,000-square-foot exhibition at Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport neighborhood of Manhattan. The opening is set for 2027 or 2028.
“There is big ambition here,” said Vince Kadlubek, one of Meow Wolf’s founders and current chief vision officer. “There is a joyful pressure, the kind of pressure that creatives feel when you are reaching for something that is intending to be remarkable.”
Kadlubek noted that the New York location will be the company’s largest investment in a single venue. It will require tens of millions of dollars and collaboration between nearly 500 artists and designers to fill the space.
Meow Wolf is partnering with Seaport Entertainment Group, which operates a food hall and concert venue at the site. “The biggest evolution for us in the New York project is the level of connectivity between the exhibition and the participant,” Kadlubek explained.
Meow Wolf’s largest NYC adventure
He aims for visitors to feel as though they are inside a video game where their choices might influence the world around them. Meow Wolf started as an art collective on a shoestring budget in Santa Fe in 2008. It has since grown into one of the largest immersive art companies in the world, employing nearly 1,000 people to run its neon-drenched sites.
The company’s exhibitions are known for their maximalist mix of art, storytelling, and interactivity. “Meow Wolf exhibitions don’t fit into neat categories. They’re not escape rooms, selfie museums, or traditional immersive experiences,” reads an official press release.
“They are interactive universes filled with layers of narrative, where every visitor becomes part of the story.”
Meow Wolf works with local artists so that each of its exhibitions “reflects the heart of its host city.” The company promises that its New York location will be a “love letter to the stories, people, and artistic spirit that make the city an unmatched cultural powerhouse.”
The Seaport destination is considered the perfect space for Meow Wolf’s NYC exhibition due to its waterfront energy, cobblestone streets, and eclectic mix of culture that bridges the past and the future. While the official theme of the exhibition is still under wraps, Meow Wolf promises to transport visitors into “mind-expanding, interactive realms.” The opening date will be in late 2027 or early 2028.
Photo by; Luca Bravo on Unsplash
