a whole new world

Meet 4 artists behind Meow Wolf Houston's immersive multiverse

Move between worlds at Meow Wolf.

Photo by Arturo Olmos

Meow Wolf — what a phenomenon! While the original location in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was once an artistic pilgrimage, people living in or traveling to more accessible cities are able to finally get a taste: Las Vegas, Denver, Grapevine (Dallas), and now Houston belong to the Meow Wolf universe. The experiential art venue will open its fifth location named Radio Tave on Thursday, October 31, expanding the story of the intergalactic takeover of community radio station ETNL in the fictional East Texas town of “Little Thicket.”

Each individual space relies on the abilities of the contributing artists, while following along with the narrative of each of the other Meow Wolf locations. But, how does that work? As with anything of this grandiose nature, someone has to be holding the reins to ensure that everything is cohesive and coherent — in terms of Meow Wolf, anyhow.

We caught up with key members of the Meow Wolf design team, including principal creative director Spencer Olsen and story editor Sarah Bradley, to understand how the historic Moncrief-Lenoir sheet metal factory became an effective, immersive experience that seems poised to become Houston’s newest must-visit art destination.

Overall Design

CultureMap: There are multiple creative directors who designed Radio Tave. Your official title is “Principal Creative Director.” What does that mean, exactly?
Spencer Olsen: What that means for my part on the exhibition as a whole is I lead and mentor the team of creative directors who each work on their individual spaces. ‘The Bailiwick’ is the one space I worked on myself rather than delegating to a staff level creative director.

CM: How did this location come to be?
SO: The historic Moncrief-Lenoir building was a pretty incredible site to get to design an experience in. Most notably, the very high ceilings allowed us to either leave some spaces full-height open to structure for a very grand-feeling experience like our front of house lobby, the ‘Amalgam,’ or add a drop ceiling below the structure for hiding MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) for spaces that creatively called for a more natural or intimate feeling like ‘The Bailiwick’ and the ‘ETNL Radio Station.’

CM: Houston is a city that has always straddled industrial powerhouse and bayou-driven natural wonderland. How does this work within the Meow Wolf universe?
SO: Meow Wolf has created several natural feeling environments, and one of the creative challenges is to conceal the fact that guests are in a building, and not out in nature. For ‘The Bailiwick’ we took careful considerations of sight lines and vantage points to craft experiential reveals to guests.

We also designed a decaying sci-fi feeling structure within the space inspired by what you might encounter in an open-world video game and filled it with trees, creatures, roots, and foliage overgrown in the structure to make it feel alive and inviting.

CM: Meow Wolf has over 50 artists represented within Radio Tave. What direction does the principal creative director give to artists so that there is continuity in the overall narrative, while granting individual artistic license to local creators?
SO: Dozens of creative people worked on ‘The Bailiwick.’ In order to balance creative and narrative needs with allowing artists’ agency to make the art they wanted to make, it was important to set experience objectives without necessarily directing teams on how they should get there.

Setting an objective truth to weigh decisions against really helps artists make great choices. I remember saying frequently things like ‘it should evoke a feeling of reverence,’ or ‘tell a story of metamorphosis,’ and that worked well for a variety of disciplines from scenic painters and sculptors to lighting and audio designers.

Meow Wolf Houston radio station lobby The Meow Wolf team studied historical photographs to capture the right aesthetic for ETNL.Photo by Tarick Foteh

ETNL Community Radio

One of many interesting aspects of a Meow Wolf experience is that it can be as interactive as one wants it to be. For those who love a bit of mystery and detective work, an entire day can easily be spent attempting to follow all of the clues to discover what exactly happened to the employees of ETNL Radio and their fellow Little Thicket residents.

Crafting an intricately detailed story like this takes quite a creative mind. Senior creative director and story editor Sarah Bradley shared some behind the scenes trivia on how the design and storyline of ETNL Radio came to be.

CultureMap: Is the ETNL Radio station meant to be from a specific era or more ambiguous? What was your inspiration for that overall vibe?
Sarah Bradley: The ETNL Community Radio station was a massive collaborative effort, and in addition to doing the overall design of the radio station, I worked with our writers, graphic designers, and prop specialist to create the story and details that brought it to life.

Our design effort happened during Covid-19, so we relied largely on photographs. The website Radiosurvivor.com has an impressive archive of radio station tours done by Jennifer Waits, and her photography was invaluable for us to capture a vibe and aesthetic that celebrated these.

CM: What was the design process?
SB: The design process took inspiration from a number of sources, which then informed the design of the story, visuals, and other elements. The building facade, for instance, was inspired by the beautiful 1940s architecture of WPFT in Raleigh, NC, which in turn led us to establish ETNL's roots in the late 1940s.

CM: What is the story of Little Thicket?
SB: Though the story would be set in the present, we wanted the interiors to look dated, like renovation hadn't happened in a while, or happened unevenly across the building. We juxtapose the older interior with contemporary items and photographs, as well as an archive of historical photographs and newspaper articles capturing the history of the radio station throughout the decades.

This deep history also led us to develop the town that ETNL was originally from, a small town in East Texas called Little Thicket. Being a community radio station, ETNL's ties to this quirky town are seen throughout the decor and help create a sense of place for us to break later when it's revealed that the station is no longer in Little Thicket.

The Amalgam

Radio Tave’s main lobby, aka “The Amalgam,” is a pastel dreamscape. Soaring ceilings and windows allow for so much natural light that, as a canvas, this space will always impress. Dani Herrera, the creative director for front of house, shared more about that experience, and what visitors should make sure not to miss.

CultureMap: As the creative director for “The Amalgam,” what do you feel are some cool design elements of that space that people wouldn’t know from just being in there?
Dani Herrera: Some cool design elements that first come to mind are murals, the underfloor diorama, mobiles, and the faux stained glass window.

We really wanted murals by local Houston artists to be one of the first things visitors see when entering the lobby. Lobby murals were designed and painted by nine different Houston artists and one Meow Wolf artist.

Below the stained glass window, we have a recessed underfloor diorama. The recess was part of a load-in area for trains when it was a former sheet metal factory. The stained glass window and mobiles add another layer of interest by casting their color and light across the space — most brilliantly closer to sunset.

CM: What was it like from your perspective to make sure that each of the nine designers were represented, while staying within a cohesive aesthetic?
DH: Early on in the project, I put together a creative deck with mood boards, a base color palette, concept art, and lots of 3D views. It served as a shared starting point for artistic collaboration and considerations.

In the lobby, there’s an incredible range of artists, specialists, designers, and fabricators, etc. I wanted to create elements and an environment that offered a lot of range and interest for different types of artists. I hoped this base palette would provide enough cohesiveness that artists could have more range to create from their unique sensibilities and aesthetics.

CM: The murals in the Amalgam begin approximately seven feet above the floor, with the wall space below painted in a colorful checkered pattern. You mentioned previously that it’s a trick to keep the murals from being damaged, hiding practicality in your design. Are there any other tricks like that happening in the lobby?
DH: In the front of house spaces there’s a lot of balancing and blending of aesthetics with operational/ functional and budgetary needs. Placing the murals above eye level was meant to draw your attention up to further add to the grandeur and volume of the space and decrease the need for maintenance on the murals.

Another example is how we managed to conceal operational doors following some of the planning principles of a piazza or courtyard. We have a central open and wide space for circulation symmetrically surrounded on both sides with smaller lingering spaces that mask the operationally-required doors and pathways.

Meow Wolf Speaking In Reflections Nickelodeon influenced Neon Thrash's mural.Courtesy of Neon Thrash

One to Watch

Those who appreciate ’90s nostalgia will be pleased to know that Houston artist Neon Thrash has an installation that will set any millennial’s heart aflutter. Named “Speaking In Reflections,” this artist’s installation is also one of the only installations that includes a mirror — one simply must be allowed a selfie. Neon Thrash shared some insights into his inspiration for the room.

CultureMap: Your characters and cartoons are so familiar, and their features are very nostalgic of the ’90s. Was that intentional?
Neon Thrash: A lot of my work comes from inspirations I don't realize I'm tapping into until after I've finished a piece. It's like using paper that has imprints from previous writing you didn't see at first. Nickelodeon cartoons really left a mark as I got older, so unique and full of artistic style. They were new and fresh compared to a lot of Saturday morning cartoons. Ren and Stimpy, Ah! Real Monsters, and Rocko's Modern Life were all very formative for me.

CM: What is your overall goal with “Speaking In Refections?” Do you think it will resonate with visitors in a positive way? Your characters have found themselves to be equally scary, charming, and adorable.
NT: We look at real life all day. What appeals to me are things I would never be able to see, the weirder the better. Illustration lets me bring to life creations that have no purpose other than to make me and, hopefully, other people smile. I really want to bring people back to that joy of falling in love with new cartoons when they were growing up. It's even more awesome if I can recreate that as a shared experience for people with their kids.

Radio Tave is an unbelievably majestic experience that really has to be experienced to appreciate. With the rate that the Meow Wolf universe is expanding, fans may eventually request an intergalactic passport. Just be sure to get it stamped in Little Thicket.

design interviews meow wolf visual-art

honoring the past

Houston museum's new project preserves historic Freedmen's Town bricks

Freedmen's Town Rebirth in Action pavilion rendering

Rendering courtesy of Studio Zewde

Rebirth in Action is set to open in 2027.

As Houstonians come together to celebrate Juneteenth, it’s jarring to think that this day of celebration has only been a federally-recognized holiday since 2021. After all, it was in 1865 that U.S Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19 to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. After this event many formerly enslaved Black Americans made their way to Houston, establishing what is now Houston’s very first Heritage District, known as Freedmen’s Town.

Now, the robust Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy, in partnership with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and Mount Horeb Church, are working with the City of Houston on a long overdue project, Rebirth in Action, to honor this historic site. Designed by artist Theaster Gates in partnership with landscape architect Sara Zewde, the monumental pavilion will temporarily house more than 20,000 historic bricks previously removed and preserved from Houston’s Freedmen’s Town. Houston Mayor John Whitmire attended the groundbreaking, which took place last month.

While many people recognize Galveston as the site of the first Juneteenth celebrations, both of those took place on January 1, to honor the Emancipation Proclamation. However, recent research by Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities at Rice University W. Caleb McDaniel, has uncovered that the first official Juneteenth celebration was led by two ministers, Sandy Parker and Elias Dibble, right in Freedmen’s Town in 1866. McDaniel’s fascinating article will appear in the next issue of the Journal of Texas History.

Freedmen’s Town, established in 1865 by over 1,000 newly-free Black Houstonians following Juneteenth, has significantly dwindled in recent years due to systematic reductions in resources, despite its initial 500+ historic structures, including churches, schools, and cultural institutions. Rebirth in Action aims to preserve and promote the neighborhood as a monument of Black community, agency, and heritage.

“The work of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is to utilize our museum as a platform for resources sharing; a platform for unearthing new conversations around gems in our city that are also right down the street,” explains Ryan Dennis, co-director and chief curator for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. “Artists have different practices and artists like Theaster [Gates] can really help understand preservation conditions and needs of community, revitalization, and bringing resources together to better serve a neighborhood and realize optimal benefits, particularly antiquities like the bricks in Freedman’s Town that have been taken out of the neighborhood, displaced in other areas of Houston, and not in the home where they were originally created, paid for, and laid down in (by formerly enslaved individuals), which is Freedmen’s Town.”

The first phase of Rebirth in Action involved artistic activations (including Gates’ exhibition The Gift and The Renege in 2024), artist residencies, community and stakeholder meetings, and the identification, cataloging, and preservation of over 20,000 historic bricks. The pavilion will encourage public viewing of these historic bricks and serve as a hub for engagement with the history, cultural significance, and future of Freedmen’s Town. Additionally, Hines Architecture + Design will rehabilitate three row houses into an adjoining community center.

“I think the whole project is one that’s quite interesting, useful, and productive. I think it’s important for us to think about how we can use our resources to accomplish the things that build collective wellness — right? Wellness in the space of really preserving our communities that have been disinvested in, elevating the real gems of our city,” says Dennis. “We can do that through collaborations and partnerships; we are much stronger when we can do that with others, versus by ourselves, and I think this project really speaks to that ethos.”

Phase Two has been made possible by Mount Horeb Church’s continued stewardship of both land and existing historic structures in Freedmen’s Town. The project will include an arts pavilion and community green space designed by Sara Zewde, with an installation by renowned artist Theaster Gates, plus three historic structures redesigned and restored by Daimian Hines Architecture + Design for adaptive reuse as a food pantry and community garden, after-school programming, and senior services for Mount Horeb Church, who will guide programming and operations.

The art installation will display the original Freedmen’s Town bricks that once lined the streets, giving visitors a chance to experience their significance firsthand. Working with the City of Houston and the North Houston Highway Improvement Program that will reconnect Freedmen’s Town to downtown, Phase Three will see these bricks returned to the streets in a pedestrian promenade capacity. Subsequently, the pavilion will showcase rotating artist activations.

“The Brick Pavilion for Freedmen’s Town is a project that is deeply resonant for me,” shares Gates. “In part, because there are several opportunities to cultivate community and institutional trust, to create an additional neighborhood heart, and to invest in more beauty for this hugely important district of Houston.”

Landscape architect Sara Zewde's pavilion, gardens, and landscape design will help centralize all facets of Rebirth in Action, creating a community hub: “Studio Zewde's collaboration with Theaster Gates began with a shared belief that the future of Freedmen's Town must be rooted in the wisdom of the community that built it,” she writes in an email. “The pavilion and landscape draw inspiration from the neighborhood's tradition of shared backyards that connected the community across property lines. The project builds on this inheritance by forming a shared landscape at the center of the sacred bricks and their pavilion, the restored row houses, the Freedmen's Town Conservancy Visitor Center, and Mount Horeb Baptist Church.”

Architect Daimian Hines credits Reverend Dr. Smith of Mount Horeb Church for the continued stewardship of the land and notes that Dr. Smith oftentimes remarks that the holding of the land has been a form of resistance, the act of holding the land keeping outsiders from contributing to the erasure of Freedmen’s Town and its history.

“The fact that these three houses, and more in the community, that these post-emancipation structures still exist, it wasn’t for a lack of community pressure. It was a combination of efforts by folks like Dr. Smith, who were resisting [gentrification] through ownership,” explains Hines.

“Some of the ownership of some of these properties are so complex, it was difficult for potential buyers [developers] to actually get ownership of some of these structures—I consider that sheer luck.”

Hines worked closely with the Houston Archeological and Historic Commission to propose rehabilitating, modifying, and even relocating the row houses a mere 15 feet. The gabled, cottage-style row houses date back to the late 19th century. These post-emancipation row houses were built by formerly-enslaved, new residents of Houston.

“We wanted to think through: ‘what was the original story, how did the front of the houses and the back of these structures — what role did they play in day-to-day life?’ We were able to make some strategic moves to bring that to the forefront again,” Hines says. “The Rebirth in Action project and the houses are part of a broader preservation goal within the community to not just preserve, but to reuse either for housing, or — in this case — adaptive reuse as a community space.”

Hines notes that one of the row houses is of double-door configuration. This typology signifies that it was most likely a boarding house in its prime, a time when Black Americans weren’t welcome in downtown hotels. The two front doors let travelers know that they were welcome to rent a safe place to stay. Together, the three row houses will offer approximately 3,200-3,600 square feet of space, plus a large back porch that will face the pavilion.

As resources were often few and far between in post-emancipation Freedmen’s Town, the cladding on row houses was patchwork in appearance, as purchasing gaps meant that continuing on with the same materials was unlikely. Regardless, these homes were remarkably well constructed, with solid wood, wooden dowels, and shiplap interior walls. These construction methods, along with allowances for airflow, contributed significantly to their preservation.

“The one thing about these structures is, that as robust as they are, they have taken a beating,” says Hines. “The actual wood, the detailing, a lot of that has been lost, but these structures tell a story. This is a project I knew I wanted to be personally involved in, and my firm. [The structures] will be able to continue telling a story and play an active role in that community, and that’s why I’m excited.”

Rendering courtesy of Studio Zewde

Rebirth in Action is set to open in 2027.

museums contemporary art museum houston freedmen's town visual-art