Meow Wolf Artists In The Colorado Wilderness by Elise Trivers

Meow Wolf Artists In The Colorado Wilderness
By Elise Trivers
Published Issue 123, March 2024

The art you’ll experience at a Meow Wolf exhibit is created through a deeply collaborative process with our local communities. Starting years before the first guests pass through our doors, it becomes a beautiful melding of minds. In Denver, we’re honored to feature the work of 110 collaborating Colorado artists across multiple disciplines that are integral to the rich, layered journey you’ll take through the Converged Worlds.

If you’ve ever left Convergence Station wondering about the artists, or the little shrimp on your shoulder is whispering to you “more art, give me moooore,” we’ve rounded up a list of where to see their art outside of our Coloradan walls. If you visit any of them and snap some digital mems, tag us and the artists–we’d love to see it!

Andi Todaro — Bacchus Shrine at Finn’s Manor

Lead artist of Bacon Faces at Convergence Station

Andi Todaro’s hallway of bacon-toned portraits — in the style of Francis Bacon — invokes a visceral reaction. It might take you some extra exploration to find the tucked-away corrido, but it’s one that will certainly make an impact. There’s something new to notice each time you’re in the space, and gives you the opportunity to reflect on the shared experience of occupying a meaty body. 

Lovingly nestled into a brick wall at a Finn’s Manor is Bacchus Shrine, Todaro’s bric-a-brac ode to the ephemeral material. “I chose the French Quarter inspiration to match the bar. And because I am Greek, and Bacchus is the god of drinking (and a little bit gay), it made sense. I took inspiration from shrines the world over because it’s all pretty pagan and then I put my own twist on it. So I guess the point was to make a shrine I would want to be around and be proud of.”  

Todaro told us that one pastime of the managers at Finn’s Manor is collecting jewelry that people have lost and hanging them from the ceiling. To carry over the tradition, she included hooks and nails into the piece. If you’d like to offer a single small piece of jewelry to the shrine, please do so respectfully. Take your time — with a beverage in hand — examining alllll of the minute details and ornamental elements, while you say cheers to the ivy-wreathed wine deity.

Collaborators: Commissioned by repeat art supporter and bar owner Thomas Taylor, blessed with abundance by Phelora with the Aura, and supported by Jonathan Saiz who gifted many beautiful objects that went into this piece.

Collin Parson — Upcoming public art commission on the Wadsworth Blvd Corridor between 35th Ave and I-70

Lead artist of Light Portal Hallway at Convergence Station

Collin Parson’s sculptural pieces with light and space are recognizable from public works and galleries throughout Colorado and beyond. Light Portal Hallway is another transitional space inside of Convergence Station that’ll force you to pause and slowly take it in, rather than hurrying along in your journey. It’s equally as mesmerizing from either direction and worth the wait to watch the neon colors cycle through. A local arts collective Parsons co-founded, Cor4 Studios, recently received a large public art commission from the City of Wheat Ridge. 

“The project is called “Cosecha” (translated to Harvest/Crop) and consists of four components along the corridor. The first is a graphic microscopic view of wheat that is cut out of corten steel to create a massive 220-ft wall relief that will be backlit along Wadsworth Blvd. The drops of the negative space are used to create the three other sculptural elements that consist of interpretations of Celery Pods, Wheat Berries, and Carnations, all of which were important agriculture of the area.”

Parsons shared renderings of the steel sculptures on his Instagram with the promise #itsgoingtobecool. Follow along there to see the project’s progress!

Collaborators: Cor4 Studios is a sculptural studio established by Ana Maria Botero, Jodie Roth Cooper, Collin Parson, and Stephen Shachtman.

Douglas Schenck — DJ booth at Liquid Lounge

Lead artist of The Awakening of a Forgotten Past at Convergence Station

Tucked away within the frozen world of Eemia is a cavern containing mechanical-looking devices that appear to be from an ancient civilization, now visible behind melting ice. Each gear and cog brings the viewer in closer as they muse to themselves, “what was that before it was this?” Douglas Schenck brought a similar concept to the custom DJ booth he created for Liquid Lounge in Breckenridge, CO. Each panel is filled with mechanical odds-and-ends, intricately placed in a perfect puzzle that lights up in a rotation of neon jewel tones. Portal hop your way over the Eisenhower tunnel to dance it out in the mesmerizing glow of this galactic DJ booth.

Jaime Molina & Pedro Barrios aka The Worst Crew —  mural at Novo Legal Group

Lead artists of Thought Canopy at Convergence Station

If you live in Denver, you might enter Thought Canopy and have a flash of recognition. Jaime Molina & Pedro Barrios are the Denver-based artist duo that go by the moniker, The Worst Crew. Their work can be found throughout town with its warm desert hues and floating, peaceful faces. Thought Canopy feels like a sanctuary, offering a place to rest and reflect from up in the heights of Eemia. This soothing energy is present in their recent mural in the Westwood neighborhood, where three smiling faces float amongst botanical and celestial adornments.

Kyle Singer — studio residency at Alto Gallery

Lead artist of Sa Lawn at Convergence Station

Kyle Singer’s candy-colored, brain-melty work is delightful and cheeky. It reminds us not to take things too seriously, at least for a while. In Convergence Station, their work is a popular detour off of C Street, an alien hair salon for travelers seeking a cosmic glow up. The Waffle Cone Club CEO is currently in an artist’s residency at RiNo ArtPark and has invited the public to visit them at their studio to see what kind of whimsical work they’re creating these days. 

What they’re exploring in this studio space: “In the immediate future, I hope to make a mess. To roll around on the floor using all my art supplies to make something called ART. In the distant future, I am interested in making more Waffle Furniture. So be on the lookout cause I am super inspired to chase a Solo Show this year.” Singer’s work, both at Convergence Station and the 2022 Vortex festival, uses repurposed materials and reimagined everyday items. “I am super obsessed with working with odd materials, throw away materials. I want to trash-form them into something of value. Maybe a metaphor for self, but if I can raise these discarded material into a gallery worth art, well maybe I can do the same with myself.” 

Kyle’s invited us to come by their studio and say hi! Send Kyle a DM on Instagram to see when they’ll be in or swing by on a First Friday.

Lauren YS – mural at 3198 Blake Street, Denver

Lead artist of The Ancestral Crypt at House of Eternal Return

Lauren YS’s room at the House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe is a newer installation and a “haven for fluidity,” where visitors can commune with their queer ancestors. As part of the DENVER WALLS festival, Lauren YS aka Squidlicker created an striking, epic mural that speaks to the Chinese-American immigrant experience in the Southwest. Each element contains layered meaning, with nods to both ancient and contemporary motifs. This multi-story mural is worth a trip to RiNo to see, where you can start or end your art exploration with a beer on the patio that gazes up at the intricate piece. YS shared some history of Chinese immigrants in Colorado:

“Chinese immigrants first arrived in Colorado in 1869. Many came as employees of the railroads or laundries. By 1870, ‘Chinaman’s Row’ was established on Wazee Street, which evolved into Chinatown. Chinese immigrants in Colorado faced a great deal of prejudice. During the 1873 depression, labor shortages caused Sinophobic rhetoric/action to rise.

In 1880, the tension grew to a head, where the immigration of Chinese people became a national issue. On October 30, 1880, supporters of presidential candidate Winfield S. Hancock marched through Denver with Sinophobic signs. The next day, a white mob started a race riot in Chinatown, nearly every building was burned to the ground. The date written on the hat pays homage to the victims of this riot and its descendants. I hope those who spy this detail will be guided to learn more about our history.”

Collaborators: The entire Denver Walls team, especially Alli Grimm, Ill Des, Serena Au and my mom!

Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery

Lead artist of Postscript at Convergence Station

Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery was the first exhibiting artist at Galleri Gallery, our rotating gallery space on C Street, back when we opened in September of 2021. Now, a piece called Postscript permanently lives in the exhibit above travelers near the Noodle Bar. The artform developed by Lumonics is a multisensory experience combining light, sculpture and sound. 

 “We are honored to present the latest form of the Lumonics multisensory experience that the late pioneering light artists, Dorothy and Mel Tanner, began in 1969. Marc Billard worked closely with the Tanners for many years, and his creative input has enabled the art form to continue to evolve. We are gratified to not only continue the art form but to see that it is evolving and continues to impact audiences. The audience members are also collaborators as they take this multisensory journey with us.”

Each Saturday, Lumonics opens their gallery space to the public for a ticketed immersive experience that honors the vision of their late original founders, Dorothy and Mel Tanner.

Collaborators: Dorothy and Mel Tanner (departed). Lumonics was once a team of seven but over the past 50 years, five have passed away, most recently Barbara Billard.

Get tickets to Meow Wolf’s other locations: House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, NM |  Omega Mart in Las Vegas, NV | The Real Unreal in Grapevine, TX | and Coming Soon … Houston, TX!

This feature was produced in partnership with Meow Wolf.

About Elise Trivers:

Soft leo. Chronically online. Book nerd. Plant daddy. Arts ally. Not a morning person.

Elise is a social media manager and digital marketer with 8+ years of experience. She completed degrees in international affairs and news-editorial journalism at CU Boulder and has since worked for brands including Meow Wolf, VISIT DENVER, Denver Zoo, and Colorado Public Radio, with agency time at Blake Communications. She is passionate about brand storytelling and working with organizations who make a positive impact on their communities. 

Elise’s day-to-day work is currently spent as a liaison to the Converged Worlds and as an unofficial Earther Relations Officer for QDOT.

Find her on Instagram and her social media work at Convergence Station.

Check out Elise’s last Birdy contribution, 10 Things You May Have Missed At Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, or head to our Explore section to see Meow Wolf’s monthly pieces.