Reader: What's Meow Wolf? A Museum for Hipsters?

People are howling about Meow Wolf around the world, and it's been big news in Denver all year, since the Santa Fe-based outfit announced that it would open a massive facility in the Mile High City in 2020. Soon after, Las Vegas snagged another Meow Wolf outpost, and this week, plans for a place in Washington, D.C. emerged.

But still, some people don't know exactly what Meow Wolf is...or about the phenomenon at all.

Says Matthew: 

So what is it? A restaurant? Museum for hipsters? What?

Responds Sasha: 

It is an interactive art gallery.

Suggests Lisa: 

It's a blast.

Adds Tessa: 

It's incredibly difficult to describe. But they have some videos on YouTube that give a much better idea of what it's like. One of my favorite experiences!!

But Ted has concerns:

I don't mean to be a downer - I love the original - but i'm really concerned about whether this is going to deliver diminishing returns. The Santa Fe location works so well in part because it's half art gallery / half roadside attraction.

And Lee concludes:

I'm now over Meow Wolf. By the time it opens here, it will have already been played out. I would prefer a second Casa Bonita location instead.

Keep reading for more about Meow Wolf and Casa Bonita.

 "Meow Wolf Breaks Ground in Denver, Breaks News in D.C."

"Meow Wolf Will Create a New World in the Arty Heart of Denver"

"Bumper Sticker Burn: CASA BONITA IS BETTER THAN MEOW WOLF"

Meow Wolf got its start a decade ago as a small, definitely DIY collective in Santa Fe. It moved from the fringes to the center of the action with the House Of Eternal Return, an immersive experience that opened in March 2016 in an old bowling alley in that city, with a major assist from George R.R. Martin. Denver's Meow Wolf will be three times as large, with an estimated 60,000 feet of exhibition space in a five-story, 90,000-square-foot building going up in the shadow of the Colfax viaduct, right by Interstate 25.

That project was announced in early January. Just weeks later, news broke of Meow Wolf Las Vegas@AREA15, a 50,000-square-foot installation that may be finished even before Meow Wolf Denver opens in 2020. Now comes the D.C. project, a partnership with the Cafritz Foundation, which will put a three-level, 75,000-square-foot structure in the Fort Totten community of that city.

"Washington, D.C., is an international cultural powerhouse and an ideal setting for the evolving Meow Wolf story universe that began with House Of Eternal Return,” said CEO Vince Kadlubek in announcing this third spinoff of the Santa Fe powerhouse. “Our intergalactic, transmedia story is rooted in a community of underdogs who overcome 'The Powers That Be,' and we will have something really special for all the fellow underdogs who seek a transformative experience when we unveil the D.C. chapter."

What do you think of Meow Wolf's story so far? Post a comment or email your thoughts to [email protected].