In the 8 years since Meow Wolf formed, the arts production company’s runaway success has helped embolden a new wave of young creatives. In honor of the group's anniversary this February, David Richard Gallery collaborates with one of Santa Fe’s newest art collectives for a special tribute. As part of the gallery’s Happy Birthday Meow Wolf! Benefit Exhibition, emerging art group Strangers Collective calls local writers to share Meow Wolf-inspired work in a special Strangers Salon on Saturday, February 20 from 6-9 pm.

“Meow Wolf has had a huge impact on Santa Fe’s alternative arts community,” says Strangers co-founder Jordan Eddy. “For David Richard Gallery’s celebration, we’re challenging writers to explore Meow Wolf’s wild artistic universes and share the results.”

The salon is an open call to local writers to visit David Richard Gallery’s new space at 1570 Pacheco Street from February 16-19. After viewing the Meow Wolf showcase, they will write about some aspect of the exhibition. It could be a review, short story or poem inspired by an artist or artwork in the show.

The writers will reconvene at David Richard Gallery to present their work to the public at the Strangers Salon on February 20 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM, hosted by gallery co-director David Eichholtz and ArtBeat host Kathryn Davis. After the salon, a panel of well-known local writers will review the stories and select a group of them to be published on the David Richard Gallery blog.

“We see this as an opportunity to support young artists and writers who are pushing boundaries and bringing something new and exciting into the mix,” says Eichholtz. “Through our exhibition program DR Projects, we are building an unprecedented platform for emerging artists like Strangers Collective.”