Week 33: WNDR Museum & Sew Loka

Week 33: August 13th-19th, 2023

About a year ago, I started seeing more posts online about this new interactive museum space called WNDR. It reminded me a lot of the Exploratorium back in San Francisco, and ever since first seeing those posts, I've followed WNDR on Instagram. A few weeks ago, I came across one of their marketing posts for their "WNDR: After Dark." The show that caught my eye was for an upcoming thrifted art show with 25+ local artists, DJs, and vendors. I immediately bought myself a ticket, and admittedly almost forgot about it until the beginning of this week. Thank god for calendars and notifications.

I invited my sister to come with me, because we both have a love for sewing. Even if she wasn't able to come, I would have gone by myself just to see what it was like. I love being introduced to new artists and concepts, and the emphasis on fashion and upcycling was right up my alley.

We took the trolley from my apartment into downtown to avoid parking headaches. It was a quick walk to the WNDR museum, and we arrived right at 7pm when our ticketed time slot started. The gift shop, lobby and bar area had a couple of pieces on display. There were jackets hanging from the ceiling of all types, from intricately painted denim to quilted patterned fabric.

After navigating through the lobby and being a bit confused by the layout, we confused ourselves further by entering the first exhibit. It was a room built out of a kaleidoscope of mirrors. We were instructed to put covers on our shoes and to avoid touching any surfaces. I'm sure they would have to use a lot of Windex if people don't listen.

A very trippy mirror(s) selfie

After the brain blast that was the mirror room, we slowed down to take a look at the different vendors and artists around the space. The layout of the space is a bit confusing, and I think they would benefit from a bit more signage/arrows. We managed to see all of the rooms and exhibits, each one featuring a different artist, vendor, or experience. There were two floors, each one with its own designated DJ and bar. We didn't buy any drinks or anything from the local artists, but I did get some business cards of the ones I liked.

Vintage sewing books and the classic cookie tin of sewing supplies

In the projector room, there were tons of vintage items to look at

There were a couple artists doing live painting, sewing, and performances throughout the space. It was cool to see them in action. Each room had different lighting. Most of the rooms were dim, with "mood" lighting. I cannot imagine how hard it was for the artists to see what they were creating. I assume it was more about the "vibes," than the actual creation of the pieces, but who knows. Maybe they prefer squinting to see where their last stitch was. Some artists got lucky with their placements or brought their own light sources.

One of the artists was doing a painting live

I would have loved to chat with the artists more but (at risk of sounding like a grouchy old person) the DJ's music made it hard to hold a conversation longer than "Are you the artist? Oh my, these are gorgeous" and "Here, take a card!"

The upstairs DJ

There were tons of vintage sewing books, drafting journals, and little knick-knacks that were super fun to see. My sister and I ogled at a vintage Singer machine and smiled remembering our grandmothers, our Halmuni and her seamstress expertise and our Granny and her funky patterns and quilts.

I wish I had asked if I could have one of the sneakers to make!

A very blue wall (the other side was very red)

Overall, it was pretty cool, but I think the museum space itself pales in comparison to the Exploratorium. There were only a total of 11 exhibits, and I think adding more, or having a rotation of different artists or installations would be a serious upgrade and keep things fresh. Without the special guest artists and DJs for the specific event, I think the museum would have been a little lack luster. The funniest exhibit was a wall of notes, written by museum attendees, with the prompt of "What do you know for sure?"

The Wisdom Project wall

Some of my favorites include "I farted in the mirror room," and "Pasta is good."

Thankfully we did not smell anything when we were in there

I believe my soulmate may have written this

I filled my note with the beginning verse of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass." My sister's said "Kona is a good girl." Some other notable favorites were: "Life is short, retire early" Girl, I'm trying... and "You are Kenough." Thanks, Barbie.

We ended our time by perusing through the gift shop, and I made a mental note to return during Christmas time for some funky gifts. I might consider the "Interior Illusions" balloon dog for those of you who are fans of the first few seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race (See: "While you untuck in the Interior Illusions Lounge, the judges and I will deliberate").

When I'm rich I'll own silly things like this

I always get inspired when I go to events like this one because I love to see how creativity is expressed by different people. There are so many cool, creative and talented people out there and I'm glad I got to support them by going to this event.

See you next week.