Late Meow Wolf founder honored in Santa Fe, site of his passing
The double-rainbows told Matt King’s story during the artistic visionary’s memorial service Friday in Santa Fe, N.M.
A pair of rainbows arced over the landscape in Santa Fe on Saturday, July 9, the day King died at age 37 in his adopted hometown. The images were the theme for his memorial service, also in Santa Fe. The city is also the headquarters for Meow Wolf, the arts and entertainment company King co-founded some 14 years ago.
Meow Wolf operates the enormously popular Omega Mart interaction experience, the cornerstone installation at Area15 that draws upwards of 25,000 visitors per week. The company announced King’s death Monday on the company’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
The post referred to King’s death as a “sudden passing.” The cause of King’s death has not been made public.
A company rep confirmed Saturday that King died in Santa Fe.
Josh Davisson, King’s best friend from childhood, eulogized the artistic visionary as “a true philosopher, a constant seeker of knowledge and truth.”
The artist’s passing has sent a shock through the company. King reportedly was engaged and about to move to what a colleague referred to as “a dream house.” He appeared to be living out the dream of any artist, with collaborators and friends who loved his artwork, his passion and his vision.
King’s friends and fellow artists convened at Scottish Rite Temple on Friday afternoon, and danced into the night at Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe.
No such service is planned for Las Vegas, but King’s friends and colleagues from the Area15 installation have decorated a stack of Omega Mart boxes bearing messages and sketches, filled with glitter and multicolored smoke bombs. The boxes will be set aflame during a private ceremony Sunday night in Santa Fe, creating a smoking, rainbow effect.
At King’s public celebration Friday, guests walked through double-rainbow portals leading into and out of the service. Some of King’s artwork hung throughout the temple.
Davisson is show manager at Meow Wolf Inc., parent company of Omega Mart. He wrote and delivered the final tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator.
“(King) possessed a gravity that could pull anyone into his orbit, with a unique ability to make each and every person he met feel special and seen, regardless of the duration spent with him,” Davisson said. “He was beloved and admired by all.”
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Eulogy for the late Meow Wolf co-founder Matt King, who died Saturday, July 9, 2022 at age 37. Josh Davisson, King's childhood best freind and a Meow Wolf executive, wrote and read the tribute at King's memorial in Santa Fe, N.M., on Friday, July 15, 2022:
A hyperbolic lightning-rainbow-summer breeze combo graced the Earth when Matthew Warren King was born in Dallas, TX on September 6, 1984. Matt was a child of adventure, joy, and creativity who could transform even the barest of rooms into a stupendous circus fort with just a handful of thumb tacks, a few sheets and pillows, a tall glass of imagination, some drywall putty, half charged power tools, discarded hair curlers, no less than five issues of highlights magazine, and an old extension cord missing one end.
Matt was a force of love, creativity, kindness, warmth, excitement, curiosity, humor, and joy. As if all the best friends and best people you know were rolled into a single wizardly form, bursting at the seams with magic and zest. He possessed a gravity that could pull anyone into his orbit, with a unique ability to make each and every person he met feel special and seen, regardless of the duration spent with him. He was beloved and admired by all.
Matt was a true philosopher, a constant seeker of knowledge and truth. He was curious and thorough, leaving no stone unturned, instead leaving with awe and a thirst for more wisdom to fill his philosopher's chalice. To Matt, the world and universe around him were filled with wonder and intrigue and no one was better equipped to explore it's majesty and mystery than this caped wizard with color changing eye-glasses.
Matt was a free-spirited guide to all he knew and encountered, a friend of the highest order. To be hugged and loved by Matt was a unique and singular experience. To feel seen and honored by Matt was life changing. To laugh with Matt was to participate in joy, unbound. Unbound because there were no limits to where he would apply his humor. Cars breaking down, broken toes, quarterly financial reports, wardrobe malfunctions, undercooked poultry, setting up a sleeping bag in an ant pile in the middle of the night, multidimensional existential philosophy. No subject was spared from his unique brand of levity.
Matt's love for art and creation cannot be understated. He was an abundant artist who created with electricity and jubilation. His appreciation of beauty and excellence was infectious, inviting all around him to participate in creation and wonder. With the help of many scrappy friends, he founded the art collective turned immersive experience company Meow Wolf, where he was a Senior Vice President of Creative Direction. Though a true leader in the company, inspiring all who worked with him, he was just as well known for applying ceiling glitter and hauling post-install trash to the dumpsters.
Matt adored his family. He was a playful brother who looked up to his sibling with admiration and was the perfect lifelong adventure companion, never failing to make time to spend each summer canoeing with his brother, forming that unique sibling bond that endures for all time. He was a loving son who never failed to kiss and squeeze his mother. He was close to her throughout his life the way a mother and newborn exist: In a state of unshakeable connection. He cherished his father, hanging onto every word for the life lessons pouring from an endless well of humor and wisdom. Though he occasionally questioned his father's love for cheap beer, he found the wisdom in that as well.
Matt King was a passionate lover who never failed to express his tenderness, yearning, and devotion. He was charming, sincere, and curious. His union was sacred, transcending time and space. His love will continue endlessly, in future lives and across infinite universes.
Matt lived fully, intensely, and fearlessly. He was wild and courageous, and yet gentle and thoughtful. He was classically handsome, beautiful to behold, and…exhilarating to sniff. He lived and loved like a mythical hero seeking to change the world with love and creativity until the day his physical form could no longer contain such powerful transformative energy.
Matt transcended from this physical realm at the tragically young age of 37 on July 9, 2022 in Santa Fe, NM. He was survived by his adoring mother Mitzi King, his brother Michael King, sister in law Emily King, and his beautiful fiancé Han Santana-Sayles. He was preceded in death by his father Randy King, who is waiting for Matt in the Hereafter with open arms and a bright smile. And a miller high life.
Matt will be dearly missed, but his memory will galvanize the bond we shared with him. Matt will live on in our hearts. We will know him when we see him. A gentle bird, singing us a comforting tune. A brilliant crack of lightning, illuminating the sky and reminding us to look up into the universe. A beautiful double rainbow, arching over us like his arms wrapping around us for a hug. A warm summer breeze, like his hand on our shoulder, encouraging us to keep going. We love you, Matt.
As a life long camp counselor and board of director, all memorial contributions should be directed to Camp Carter YMCA in Fort Worth, TX.
