Meow Wolf emerged in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2008 as an artist collective founded by Quinn Tincher, Matt King, Matt Smith, Megan Burns, and Vince Kadlubek. It gained early notice through experimental collaborative projects, then broke through with House of Eternal Return, a permanent immersive installation opened in 2016 in a former bowling alley with support from George R. R. Martin, city funding, and crowdfunding. The project helped establish Meow Wolf as a major force in immersive art. The company later expanded to permanent sites in Las Vegas, Denver, Grapevine, and Houston, while drawing praise for its broad impact on the New Mexico art scene and public engagement with installation art.