SPARK! Dallas, the innovative educational facility fostering creativity in youth, announced a groundbreaking partnership with arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf second SPARK! PRISMATIC Art Pop-up Experience featuring 28 area high school artists’ creations. The colorful exhibition is an immersive experience showcasing the students’ creativity through a variety of themed areas imagined, designed and built in a single color and theme. The community is invited to see the PRISMATIC Art Pop-up Experience June 1 to September 29 at SPARK!, located at Southside Lamar (1409 Bothan Jean Blvd., Suite #004, Dallas, TX 75215).
Meg Bittner, executive director of SPARK! said, “As an inaugural grantee of the Meow Wolf Foundation for 2023-2024, SPARK! Dallas is honored to announce Meow Wolf Grapevine as a presenting sponsor, which will contribute to the success of the PRISMATIC Art Pop-up Experience. This partnership not only provides financial backing, but also offers amazing opportunities for student enrichment, including behind-the-scenes tours at Meow Wolf Grapevine, mentorship from Meow Wolf's Exhibitions team members and funding for materials.”
SPARK! received 22 submissions, and the following six public high schools were selected to participate based on their creativity, design elements and proposal submission:
- CityLab High School (Dallas ISD) – Dream Cream(sicle) (coral)
- Hillcrest High School (Dallas ISD) – Fungi Delight (red)
- Newman Smith High School (Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD) – Orange Lovers (orange)
- West Mesquite High School (Mesquite ISD) – Snake Eyes (green)
- Williams High School (Plano ISD) – Automation Biker Frogs (purple)
- Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas ISD) – Moonlight Sonata (blue)
In addition to being the presenting sponsor and major funder for this initiative, Meow Wolf Grapevine is offering mentorship to the students and an opportunity to show the community their artistic creations come alive when the exhibition opens.
“I am thrilled to mentor SPARK! Dallas students to inspire and empower young creators,” said Exhibition Manager for Meow Wolf Grapevine Christy Howell. “This PRISMATIC Art Pop-up Experience offers students a platform to unleash their imagination and creativity. This partnership epitomizes the dynamic convergence of art, technology, and engineering, offering students an unparalleled chance to delve into immersive design concepts.”
“Partnering with SPARK!, we are eager to see these innovative projects.” said Lead Exhibition Technical Engineer at Meow Wolf Daniel Bornhorst. “Meow Wolf Grapevine specializes in integrating traditional art with cutting-edge technology to create immersive experiences. From sound processing and lighting to scent design, we blend various elements to craft truly unique experiences which makes this partnership perfect.”
Bittner added, “These public high school students are amazingly talented, and I am impressed with how they have thoughtfully sketched and are creating their rooms into an interactive and immersive pop-up experience perfect for social media moments. I invite everyone to come see it and celebrate these students’ success.”
Exhibit hours:
Open to public starting June 1-Sept. 29
Fridays: 1:00-8:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 1:00-6:00 p.m.
Adult Nights (age 21+): Thursdays starting June 6-Sept. 26,5:00-9:00 p.m.
Ticket prices:
Adults regular admission: $25
Children (ages 2-17) : $23
Teachers (with Teacher ID): $20
Adult Night (age 21+): $40, includes 2 drink tickets
All tickets include the PRISMATIC exhibit and admission to the play sculpture areas.
Learn more and make a ticket reservation: https://sparkdallas.org/prismatic/ or 214.421.7727.
About SPARK! Dallas:
A nonprofit founded in 2010, SPARK! Dallas provides children from second grade to high school with a fully immersive creative environment with hands-on learning that develops their self-definition as creative individuals. Through an endless roster of workshops and pop-up activities, students exercise their creativity and learn from creative experts, innovators, and artists. The organization’s vision is to help students acquire creative skills to excel in school and compete in the work force. SPARK! also hosts interactive camps, field trips and birthday parties. SPARK! is located in the historic South Side of Lamar building at 1409 Botham Jean Blvd, Ste 004, Dallas, Texas 75215. For more information, visit https://sparkdallas.org/.
ABOUT MEOW WOLF:
Meow Wolf is not your typical arts and entertainment company; they’re the creators of extraordinary, mind-bending experiences that transport millions of adventurers of all ages into breathtaking realms of imagination and wonder. As the proud recipients of numerous accolades, including Time Out's #1 Immersive Experience in the US (2023), Fast Company's World's 50 Most Innovative Companies (2022 and 2020), and USA Today's Top 10 Best Immersive Art Experiences (2022), Meow Wolf is committed to engaging curious seekers through the magic of discovery and play. They are distinct in their collaboration with hundreds of visionary artists who infuse creativity into every Meow Wolf experience. The journey began with the THEA Award-winning House Of Eternal Return in Santa Fe (2016), a mystery house with hidden passages and mesmerizing art exhibits. In Las Vegas, Omega Mart (2021) presented a surreal grocery store experience. Denver's Convergence Station (2021) appeared as a maximalist architectural marvel linking four alien worlds. In July 2023, Meow Wolf unveiled The Real Unreal in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and plans to open a new location in Houston in 2024. As a certified B-Corporation, Meow Wolf leads in themed entertainment, innovating and celebrating human imagination. All are invited to join a journey that defies convention, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.
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SPARK! Dallas PRISMATIC WINNING TEAMS:
CityLab High School – Dream Cream(sicle) (coral)
Advisor: Kelsey Turner Creators: Brian, Diego, Jennifer, Jose, Kevin, Princess, Sebastian
A creamsicle comes from the sky into a living room on the top story of a building. The creamsicle is in the middle of the room and has broken a part of the wall and ceiling. This living room resembles a crime scene where the room also has clues about why this creamsicle is in the room in the first place in which includes the immersive part like parts of the room being a scavenger hunt. The room includes a coffee table that the creamsicle crashed into, a bookshelf with books on the floor, a couch and pinboard with connected dots related to the crash of the creamsicle to start up the scavenger hunt.
Hillcrest High School – Fungi Delight (red)
Advisor: Karleen Hesselbacher Creators: Dana, Inergee, Kyra
The design includes a textured floor (red moss and red turf) accompanied with different species of handmade mushrooms and natural looking elements. On the ceiling, we incorporate different aspects of nature, such as poppies and red spider lilies with fairy lights. On the walls, we utilize a 3-D mushroom design that extrudes outwards and adds depth to the space. There are glowing mushrooms surrounding the bigger mushrooms that visitors can sit on and take selfies. The mushroom chairs are main focal point of the room. The room transports viewers to an environment that would remind them of storybooks by Lewis Carroll. We also incorporate additional senses with scents as well as the visual and tactile aspects.
Newman Smith High School – Orange Lovers (orange)
Advisor: Allison Ketchersid Creators: Cora, Haydrienne, Hazel, Triniti
The design was inspired by many beautiful poems using oranges as a sign of love and the beauty of having someone to make your life just a bit easier. This metaphor is shown throughout the room by many different sketches of peeled orange “furniture” such as cushions, a peelable orange table, even small peelings used as light decor. The idea of the theme was to be seen as a place to relax and be at ease just lounging with someone. A gesture to prove love is not something grand and always upbeat, but to have times of calm and peace. One wall has round orange movable dioramas showing the growth of a relationship such as dates, and even a proposal. Along one mirrored wall, inspired by Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkins, is hope reflecting that love only needs commitment to grow.
West Mesquite High School – Snake Eyes (green)
Advisor: Megan Eakins Creators: Chris, Emma, Esmerelda, Haley, Heaven, Jasmine, Mariah
The design is based on a thick tropical rainforest. Using green as our main color, we fill the room with vegetation and highlight focus points in the room with UV paint to glow under a black light. The story behind our room is that highly valuable crystals are scattered throughout the forest; people who have succumbed to greed and stolen from the forest have faced its wrath and have been permanently trapped in the forest.
Williams High School – Automation Biker Frogs (purple)
Advisor: Emily Garner Creators: Archie, Birdie, Cale
We wanted to replicate a Western town with a cartoony style. To design our village, we are creating a saloon, sheriff's office/jail, bank and general store. We add components like astroturf “sand,” barrels, backdrops and a water trough to give the room more details that will interest the guests and add to the aesthetic. Our room has multiple interactive components like funny items in the market, multiple silly animals, walkable saloon doors, a hidden cat, wanted snake signs, and a scavenger hunt to find all the snakes because they “escaped” from the jail.
Woodrow Wilson High School – Moonlight Sonata (blue)
Advisor: Jessica Raff Creators: Sera, Karen, Kara, Dascha
Step into this enchanting world where the theme revolves around a mesmerizing moon light. The walls are adorned with a breathtaking backdrop of majestic mountains, providing a sense of depth to the room. Playful swirly clouds, painted in vibrant patterns, dance across the ceiling, creating a whimsical atmosphere. The focal point of the room is a moon with its own swirly designs, casting a cool and mysterious glow. The moon's glow on the ground adds a touch of magic, contrasting beautifully with the darker hues of the clouds. The overall effect is a vibrant and lively ambiance, evoking the warmth of twilight scene. This space is designed to inspire creativity and ignite the imaginations of the little ones who enter, turning bedtime into a magical adventure. With soft clouds, this room invites kids into a world of dreams beneath the moon.