“Games of Thrones” may be nearing the end of its eight-year run, but creator George R.R. Martin’s fantasy pursuits continue to grow.
The prolific author is an investor in Meow Wolf, a New Mexico company that creates “immersive art” experiences with plans to expand beyond its Santa Fe base to Las Vegas, Denver, Washington and Phoenix.
“Meow Wolf’s conquest of the world continues,” Martin wrote in a March 13 blog post announcing the Phoenix location, which will include a music venue and hotel. “Kittens and wolves, on a roll!”
In 2015, the Santa Fe resident invested $2.7 million to help Meow Wolf, a self-described penniless, anarchic art collective, open a permanent creative space in an abandoned bowling alley turned Victorian-style mansion. The result was the House of Eternal Return, a neon-lit, psychedelic fun house that drew 400,000 visitors its first year and hasn’t looked back.
“You have to go with your gut,” Martin told the Los Angeles Times in November. “That’s all you have. And my gut told me Meow Wolf was up to something very special here. The only question is: Would the world be ready for it? Thankfully, the world was more than ready for it.”
Created by more than 100 local artists, the House of Eternal Return describes itself as a mixture of children’s museum, art gallery, jungle gym and fantasy novel. Visitors explore each room of the mansion via passageways and portals, piecing together a story line told through written notes, painting, sculpture, music, video, lighting and fabrics. Time Out recently ranked it No. 4 on its list of best things to do in the world, and it’s one of the top Santa Fe attractions on Trip Advisor.
The surge in popularity has attracted additional investors beyond Martin, including West Coast venture capital fund Alsop Louie Partners and Santa Fe-based Sun Mountain Capital. They bought into a $17.5 million convertible debt offering in 2018.
“It was a very natural fit for us,” said Lee Rand, a partner at Sun Mountain, which has a fund dedicated to investing in New Mexico companies.
Still, Meow Wolf isn’t a typical investment for the private equity firm.
“It’s somewhat unique,” Rand said. “New Mexico has a lot of semiconductor and life science and material, so this was a little different.”