June 14 - Dec 31, 2018

Special Guest, a collaborative Denver art show presented by Meow Wolf, will open June 14 at The Next Stage Gallery, an interactive and collaborative space curated and run by CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media in a partnership with Denver Arts & Venues. This exhibition opening coincides with the American for the Arts Conference and will run through December 31.

This is a special partnership between Meow Wolf and Denver, as they begin the journey to build a new facility located near the CU Denver campus. Meow Wolf is expected to bring a new level of creativity and collaboration to Denver’s art scene.

“Denver is excited for the first of what is certain to be many partnerships with Meow Wolf to take Denver’s arts and culture to the next level,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “This educational and cultural partner collaboration is exactly the sort of innovative ways we are activating the Denver Performing Arts Complex through Denver’s Next Stage NOW initiative. Denverites will have so much to look forward to as we explore new ways to engage our communities in the arts.”

As one of Meow Wolf’s first footprints in Denver, select local artists, including Molly Bounds, Derrick Velasquez, Laura Shill, Diego Rodriguez-Warner and Dmitri Obergfell, will collaborate with community institutions like CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media and the Denver Performing Arts Complex to create Special Guest, a diverse and evolving installation, built as a movable talk show stage featuring poetry readings, film screenings and dance performances.

“The installation for the Americans for the Arts Conference is particularly exciting to us because we’ve been long-time fans of the phenomenal work of the Denver-based artists we’ve invited and are inspired to see them collaborate with one another, with the College of Arts & Media students, and with our team,” said Han Sayles, artist liaison at Meow Wolf. “The product, Special Guest, is thoughtful, humorous, and inviting. These well-deserving artists have taken the opportunity of this special platform to craft an ambitious and beautiful show that emphasizes accessibility and inclusion to all Denver audiences.”

The location of the Next Stage Gallery is also a part of the story that makes this installation timely and unique. On June 14-17, arts and community leaders from across the country will be in Denver for the 2018 Americans for the Arts Convention, held steps away from the gallery which is located within the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

“With Denver hosting the international Americans for the Arts convention in June, Arts & Venues is excited to showcase local artists and Denver’s newest member of the cultural community, Meow Wolf, at the Arts Complex,” says Ginger White Brunetti, Denver Arts & Venues Deputy Director. “The exhibit will kick-off in time for AFTA and can be enjoyed through the end of the year, providing time for all members of the community to get to know Meow Wolf.”

As creative industry influencers and activists will gather to discuss the issues of public arts, community development, education and equality, the Meow Wolf installation embodies the phenomenon of making art accessible and fun.

“The selected artists are wonderful and their vision is to make this installation a platform for anyone to come and create, from poets to artists to performers to 5th graders,” says Jeff Lambson, director of the College of Arts & Media’s Next Stage Gallery. “This is a manifestation of the energy and commitment to the arts between our three institutions and the result of Coloradans who are dedicated to making Denver a better place through art.”