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CU Denver Interns Get Artistic Opportunities At Soon-To-Be Open Meow Wolf

DENVER (CBS4) - As we are counting down to the opening of Meow Wolf Denver this fall, we are learning more about what's happening inside the triangular building tucked into the space between I-25, Colfax Avenue and Auraria Parkway.

Meow Wolf Denver 3 (from Meow Wolf Denver on FB)
(credit: Caity Kennedy)

And it turns out, it is most definitely a place of learning.

"Meow Wolf was looking for different interns in different categories -- everything from field art directors to creative directions to design and technical directors -- and we said we'd love to partner with you on this," said Michelle Carpenter, a professor at the University of Colorado Denver, said in an article posted on UCDenver.edu.

She's a professor of digital design at the university's College of Arts & Media, also known as CAM.

"CU Denver really stepped up, and we ended up getting 16 out of the 20 internships that were offered."

Meow Wolf is just a 5 minute walk from CU Denver's campus, making it a natural to team up for the hands-on art and production experience.

Meow Wolf (6)
(credit: Meow Wolf)

"We hope that students will learn about the importance of immersive storytelling, and how to successfully create and build art projects," said Danika Padilla, senior director of social impact at Meow Wolf.

Meow Wolf put juniors and seniors in CAM through a rigorous interview process before landing the monthly gigs. They earned college credits or as an experiential learning internship.

Carpenter explained the work environment gave those students a lot of chances for learning across various disciplines.

"In CAM, we teach our students to be forward-thinking and agile," she said. "We want them to be forward-thinking and agile. This internship really allowed them to do that."

Chelsea Minter-Bradley has spent four weeks as an intern working on the opening exhibition. She's also worked with local vendors in the Denver community. She's working to replace those plastic cards like those used for hotel keys with ones that are recyclable and environmentally friendly.

That means looking at more than just materials but also where they are made.

"For example, a plane trip from a Singaporean manufacturer is a bigger footprint than a printing facility in Las Vegas," the recent graduate in art practices said. She said that project had her partnering with a number of disciplines across Meow Wolf, from hardware designers to creative directors.

But the plans for food at the venue really took her heart away, because she worked with local food vendors.

"Partnering with our food vendors enables us to promote the local Denver economy and come together in a shared experience -- food!"

Claudia Valenzuela is a junior studying digital design who wound up as field art direction intern. That means helping artists install works and making sure that aligns with the creative directors' goals.

"It's even more inspiring getting to know the artists as individuals and seeing what inspired their work," she said in the newsletter.

She also said it was great that CU Denver went after the internship program.

"This is an opportunity for people who otherwise wouldn't have a chance, especially so young, to be able to work for an organization that has completely blown up since it first began, and an organization with such humble roots."

We are still waiting for an exact opening date for Meow Wolf Denver, but when it does open it will showcase the voices of hundreds of artists. It will also have a 450-person music venue, retail space and a cafe.

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