Opening the portal

Take a first peek inside Meow Wolf before it opens in Grapevine next month

The buzziest opening of summer is almost upon us: Meow Wolf will debut in Grapevine Mills on July 14. With just two weeks to go, we finally have an idea of what it might be like inside the "portal," thanks to five sneak-peek photos the organizers have revealed.

Themed "The Real Unreal," Meow Wolf Grapevine will be an immersive experience that will take participants on a "journey through a Technicolor wonderland that blends storytelling, technology, and immersive art," they say. Guests will experience different dimensions of perspective and creativity through more than 30 rooms.

The storyline of the journey, conceived by sci-fi and fantasy author LaShawn Wanak, goes like this: "Beginning in a house, the story centers on a mother and son, their chosen family, and the extraordinary events that open their house to a realm of expansive creativity."

Initial images capture details of the exhibition's intricate and otherworldly landscapes, although they're not fully explained. Meow Wolf likes to keep things mysterious. All were created by 38 Texas artists alongside dozens of Meow Wolf artists.

"We’re thrilled to reveal these first looks of our newest exhibition," says Dale Sheehan, Meow Wolf senior vice president and executive creative director, in a release. "It’s been in the works for four years and is an awe-inspiring self-guided experience for visitors to get lost in. 'The Real Unreal’s' narrative journey takes a leap through the spaces between universes, and is the first major step in connecting the Meow Wolf story universe."

Photo by Kate Russell

What, exactly, will this vending machine dispense?

Meow Wolf is a wildly popular, Santa Fe-based interactive adventure known for enchanting art lovers and amusement zealots with its mind-bending immersive experiences. The first-ever Texas portal (so called for Meow Wolf’s expertise in transporting visitors to fantastic realms of imagination), in Grapevine, has been in the works for more than a year.

The new Grapevine portal will be located in the Grapevine Mills shopping mall and encompass 40,000 square feet in the space formerly occupied by a big-box store. A Houston portal will follow, in 2024.

In addition to the exhibition, "The Real Unreal" portal will include a retail store, live event venue, and cafe featuring 15 food purveyors.

"The Real Unreal" will be open at 10 am daily beginning July 14. (Hours may vary.) Tickets are now available for pre-purchase starting at $50 for general admission ($45 for children). Pre-booking a time slot for entry is required.

First Look Grapevine Immersive Art Meow Wolf galleries

Museum News

2 Dallas museums partner on landmark Roy Lichtenstein acquisition

Courtesy

Roy Lichtenstein

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the Nasher Sculpture Center will present works from the joint acquisition of more than 50 artworks generously gifted by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in 2024, showing prints, drawings, and sculptures by the groundbreaking American artist at the two neighboring institutions in the Dallas Arts District.

According to a release, the installations will be on view from January 31 to August 16, 2026 at the Nasher and from January 1 to July 5, 2026 at the DMA.

The joint gift made by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation to the DMA and the Nasher in Celebration of the Centennial of Roy Lichtenstein is comprised of a selection of prints, drawings, maquettes, and sculptures by Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), a leading figure in twentieth-century American art and a pioneer of the Pop Art movement.

The works were specifically selected by the curatorial staff of both institutions and relate to objects already in their respective collections including sculptures, works on paper, and maquettes, along with tools and study objects.

Organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center’s Senior Curator Dr. Catherine Craft, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the DMA Ade Omotosho, and The Allen and Kelli Questrom Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings at the DMA Dr. Emily Friedman, the presentation is divided according to each institution’s strengths and will be shown in combination with objects by Lichtenstein already in their respective permanent collections.

At the Nasher, works relating to three sculptures from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection—Head with Blue Shadow, Peace through Chemistry, and Double Glass—will be accompanied by a selection from the Foundation's gift of more than two dozen drawings and maquettes associated with Lichtenstein’s Brushstroke sculptures.

At the Dallas Museum of Art, the presentation features a set of Brushstroke sculptures carved from wood alongside various prints and studies that reveal the artist’s eclectic imagery.

Events
In addition to the exhibition, the DMA and the Nasher will co-host a Study Day focused on the artist on March 28, 2026, sponsored by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. This scholarly event will bring together a variety of curators, academics, and conservators to discuss Lichtenstein’s studio practice and the fabrication and conservation of his sculptures.

Concluding the Study Day will be a public conversation held at the DMA between Nasher Director Carlos Basualdo and artist Alex Da Corte, regarding Da Corte’s work on the forthcoming Lichtenstein retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

“In bestowing this generous gift, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation established Dallas as a center for the study and display of Lichtenstein’s work,” Basualdo says in a statement. “This collaborative presentation of the gift and the corresponding programming is an important step in the direction of pursuing that goal, deepening the understanding of an artist who remains immensely influential to contemporary art and its relationship with mass media and today’s culture.”

Roy Lichtenstein is made possible by support from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District (DTPID).

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