This week’s PASATIEMPO had a great update on the work going on with Meow Wolf and their House of Eternal Return.
Here’s the link, for them what’s interested:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/columns/state_of_the_arts/state-of-the-arts-meow-wolf-readies-its-new-permanent/article_e9860c04-7b27-5ef8-91cf-a734601886ef.html
My Lost Post also contained some reports on the other projects I’m involved with here in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Biggest one is Meow Wolf’s ongoing transformation of the Silva Lanes, a derelict bowling alley, into a fantastic interactive art exhibit called the House of Eternal Return. I bought the bowling alley last January, and construction has been ongoing ever since. Of course, we’re behind schedule. Originally hoped to open in September. Then November. Then January.
Now it’s March, but March is looking solid. And really, boys and girls, if you pass through New Mexico any time this century, you will really want to stop and visit the House of Eternal Return. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Besides, we have a giant robot and a giant spider in the parking lot.
Rather than recap, let me just link to all my previous blog posts about Meow Wolf. That should catch everyone up well enough.
http://grrm.livejournal.com/400257.html
http://grrm.livejournal.com/405122.html
http://grrm.livejournal.com/407659.html
http://grrm.livejournal.com/447230.html
http://grrm.livejournal.com/449525.html
http://grrm.livejournal.com/457716.html
http://grrm.livejournal.com/461320.html
Besides Silva Lanes, my other ongoing project is Dragonstone Studios, the former Desert Academy prep school that we’ve been converting to artist studios and offices. Work is still ongoing there (and way behind schedule, like everything else I am connected with, it seems), and there’s less to say since this is not intended for the public… but the building has been filling up nicely with artists, a real creative community seems to be developing, and I’m stoked.
There’s also some cool stuff going on down in Candy Kitchen, New Mexico at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary. But more on that in the future, when the work is done.
And there’s something else… but no, can’t talk about that one yet…
I love Santa Fe, and it pleases me no end that I am able to given something back to the community that has nurtured me since 1979.
My friends at Meow Wolf have officially set a date for the opening of their amazing innovative interactive art-and-adventure exhibit, the House of Eternal Return.
Mark it down on your calendars, ladies and gents and children of all ages. The House will kick things off with a spectacular VIP GALA on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. The following weekend, March 18-20, Meow Wolf will officially open to the public. All down on Rufina Circle, inside the former Silva Lanes.
There are going to be all sorts of astonishing extras, and we expect sellout crowd for that first opening weekend. So if you want to join the fun, reserve your tickets now: https://meowwolf.com/product-category/exhibition-tickets/
The House of Eternal Return, long adrift is time and space, is spinning back towards earth and its eventual landing on the south side of Santa Fe… courtesy of the madmen and madwomen of Meow Wolf, the City Different’s wildest artist’s collective.
Remember Silva Lanes? That derelict bowling alley I bought last winter? If not, go back to January and February on this very Not A Blog and read the old posts. Or just Google “Silva Lanes” and my name, and you’ll find plenty of press coverage.
Anyway… work has been proceeding down on the south side ever since. My own construction crew has gutted the remains of the old structure, torn up the parking lot, and has been working day and night to bring everything up to code. Meanwhile, Meow Wolf’s artists have been across the street, making magic… and now they’ve moved in and started the installations. The two construction crews are working side by side.
Here’s some recent press coverage of the project, from the pages of the SANTA FE NEW JIXIOCAN and the ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/meow-wolf-banks-on-returns-with-ambitious-new-exhibit/article_77ca13b6-b0fa-52a5-8a00-b04dd3857241.html
http://www.abqjournal.com/611525/biz/meow-wolfs-latest-futuristic-project-bends-time-and-space.html
Last week I had a tour of the former Silva Lanes. Some amazing stuff is going on in there. The House of Eternal Return should be interactive art like you’ve never seen it. Kids are going to love this, I think. (A few lucky ones already do).
Here’s some more fun pictures from an email that Meow Wolf CEO Vince Kadlubek sent out last week to investors.
Besides the house itself (think of it as a giant TARDIS in a Victorian mansion), there’s also going to be secret passages, a cave system, a haunted forest, a performance space, a video arcade, a gift shop, a children’s learning center (for art, no longer taught in New Mexico schools), a gallery, artists’ workshops… oh, and a giant robot and steel spider in the parking lot (just visiting, those last two). (And yes, the neon bowling pin remains).
The hope is everything will be ready for a grand opening in JANUARY. Watch this space for further details.
Of course, all this costs money. To raise some more of that, Meow Wolf is offering one thousand (1000) limited edition boxed set Lifetime Pass Memberships. They come with an actual box, which looks very cool. But I will let them tell you about that themselves:
https://meowwolf.com/2015/09/the-meow-wolf-lifetime-pass-limited-edition/
The House of Eternal Return is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before, and we hope it will be a permanent part of the scene here in Santa Fe for decades to come, and a “must see” for every tourist visiting the City Different.
One thing for sure… it will be much more exciting than bowling.
Santa Fe has a new movie theatre.
A brand-new Violet Crown multiplex opens today in the Railyard, with 11 screens, big loungers, gourmet food (including pizza), and beer and wine.
Parris and I attended their “soft opening” yesterday, meeting and mingling with Bill Banowsky of Violet Crown, VIPs from the Railyard Corporation and the local film community, and various dignitaries from the city and state… including former Governor Bill Richardson, whose administration really helped to put New Mexico on the map in television and film.
It was a gala event, and the Violet Crown is a gorgeous facility. They are only two blocks down from the Jean Cocteau, but we’re friendly neighbors, and between us we hope to make the historic Railyard distinct THE place to see a movie in Santa Fe. There are plenty of great movies out there (old and new) for all of us.
The Violet Crown will be opening to the public today with AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.
Down the street, at the Jean Cocteau, we will be showing ROAR.
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See you at the movies!!
The lovely and talented SIBEL KEKILLI — best known to all you GAME OF THRONES fans out there for her amazing portrayal of Shae — came to Santa Fe last December. We celebrated her visit by screening HEAD ON, the breakthrough German film that gave Sibel her first starring role and won her the Lola (the German Oscar) for Best Actress, but that was not the main purpose of her visit. She was here to film a segment of a popular German travel show DURCH DIE NACHT (roughly, INTO THE NIGHT), for the French/ German TV network ARTE.
The premise is the show is that each week, a celebrity visits some place they have never been before, and a local shows them the town, with an emphasis on the nightlfife. Sibel asked me to show her Santa Fe, and I was delighted to say yes ( though I did warn her that Santa Fe, for all its charms, does tend to roll up the sidewalks at 9:00 pm or so). So after a rather adventurous series of flight, and a six-hour drive through the night with a stranger in a car full of fish, Sibel made it to the Land of Enchantment, and I had the honor of playing her host. We took in my own lair, a local gallery, a comic book shop, two restaurants, two bars, and of course the Jean Cocteau. (With a film crew trailing us everywhere we went).
I had a great time. Got to introduce Sibel to margaritas and chile con queso, two of my favorite things. All in all, she seemed to enjoy the experience. And driving around through the night, we talked about all manner of things, which was fun as well.
The segment has now been edited and broadcast. For those of you not in France and Germany who did not get to see it, here you go:
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I've met some wonderful people through GAME OF THRONES, and Sibel is one of them. What an amazing, talented, courageous young woman. And yes, I confess it: her Shae was better than my Shae.
Oh, and by the way, here's that song I had them sing for Sibel — Istanbul, Not Constantinople, by the Four Lads.
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We had a great press conference this morning at the old Silva Lanes, to announce plans for the long-shuttered bowling alley that I bought a few months ago. Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzalez was on hand to help us launch the project, along with an army of artists, dreamers, and organizers from Meow Wolf, who initiated this sweet madness and will be speaheading the redevelopment.
Lots of reporters and photographers turned up, along with a couple of TV crews. As their reports come in, I will post links here, for those who are interested.
Here's the ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL:
http://www.abqjournal.com/533497/entertainment/silva-lanes-to-be-transformed-to-an-explorable-art-space-for-kids-and-adults.html
Here's the Santa Fe NEW MEXICAN:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/martin-meow-wolf-aim-to-revive-old-bowling-alley-space/article_5adc071e-f12e-58a6-ad44-da00177b38ce.html
Marshall Thompson and Constructive Assets will be handling the renovation and repair of the huge structure on Rufina Circle, which was gutted years ago and has sat abandoned and empty for years. Just fixing the infrastructure will require months of work. But once the building is safe and habitable, Meow Wolf's army of amazing young artists will be moving in, to create what we think will be a truly incredible and original piece of immersive art, something that will entertain and enlighten adults and kids both: the House of Eternal Return.
It won't be cheap. To that end, Meow Wolf has started a Kickstarter. For a first glimpse of their plans, go to:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/185944623/meow-wolf-art-complex-ft-the-house-of-eternal-retu
Needless to say, contributions are welcome, if you would like to be a part of this.
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The local newspapers have all broken the story, so I might as well acknowledge it here as well.
Yeah, I bought a bowling alley.
Except… well… not really. I bought the former Silva Lanes property on Rufina Circle, a block off Cerrillos Road in south Santa Fe. But there hasn't been any bowling there since 2009, when Silva Lanes went bankrupt. And, indeed, all the lanes and interior furnishings were ripped out several years ago by a previous "buyer" who then failed to follow through with the purchase. So essentially I bought a huge empty derelict building (some 33,000 square feet) and a big parking lot.
I also have acquired a very tall bowling-pin-shaped sign, for what it's worth (not much).
Sad to say (for bowling fans), I am not planning to bring bowling back to Santa Fe. (Some other folks are doing that, supposedly, with brand new lanes in the Railyard District a few blocks from the Cocteau). Nor will I be using the space for a karaoke bar. The previous owner tried that too.
The building, instead, will be used for art… not a traditional gallery, now, but a very exciting and innovative interactive art space. The exhibits will be designed and installed by Meow Wolf, a collective of forty-odd (some very odd) artists here in Santa Fe who have been doing some amazing things over the past decade, but have never had a permanent home before.
Meow Wolf will be announcing their plans in the next month. Till then, here are some stories:
http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-9749-meow-wolf-to-take-over-old-silva-lanes.html
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/martin-meow-wolf-join-to-make-silva-lanes-an-art/article_a2c265d9-73c9-5059-be92-260fadeb064e.html
And check out the Meow Wolf home page, for a better idea of the kind of stuff they do.
http://meowwolf.com/
I think this should be very exciting, and real boost to local tourism, the arts scene, something kids of all ages will enjoy. But that's really up to Meow Wolf. My phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from people wanting comments about this, but I'm not the guy to talk to. Bottom line, I am just the landlord. The dream, the vision, and the hard work all belong to Meow Wolf.
But it should be cool.
And yes, we're going to keep the big bowling pin. I insisted.
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Alas, alack, we've lost Pat.
My faithful minion Patricia Rogers, who has manned the phones here for lo these several years and done all manner of other things to keep the chaos at bay, took her leave of the office on November 1.
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Thankfully, Pat departed for Albuquerque rather than the stratosphere. She has gone to work for James S.A. Corey, made up in equal parts of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Yes, sad to say, she has turned to the Dark Side. But the Dark Side is considerably closer to her house than the Citadel of Wisdom here in Santa Fe; it will save her three hours of commuting every day, so we can't blame her.
But we will miss her.
Lenore Gallegos has taken over most of Pat's duties. Raya remains as well, and from time to time Jo pops in, so I am adequately minioned for the moment. (In other words, DON'T SEND JOB APPLICATIONS, I am not hiring). So long as I keep that skylight closed, they should remain safely stuck to the ceiling, and work will proceed as usual.
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We had a cool event at the Jean Cocteau last night… the Santa Fe premiere of a locally made independent film, BLAZE YOU OUT, filmed and set in Espanola, just a half hour north of the City Different. The producers, writers, directors, and several of the cast members attended the screenings and answered questions afterward, and we had a crowded and enthusiastic house.
Indy films don't get the nationwide multi-million dollar advertising campaigns of major studio releases, but the best of them are as good or better than most of what the majors churn out. You probably haven't heard of BLAZE YOU OUT, but it's a good one. Check out the trailer:
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BLAZE YOU OUT has three more screenings at the Cocteau, if you're in Santa Fe. If not, well, watch for it if it shows up at a theatre near you.
This week's other new offering at the Cocteau is I DECLARE WAR, another indy. This one I haven't seen myself yet, but I hope to catch it later this week.
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See you at the movies.
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