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Seattle artist Andy Arkley's interactive installation "You Can Do Most Anything" at WNDR Museum in Seattle in March. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
WNDR Museum, an interactive, tech-infused art experience near the waterfront in downtown Seattle, has ceased operations eight months after opening.
A statement about the abrupt closure is posted on the WNDR website, but it doesn't provide a reason for the decision. It was also posted as an Instagram story four days ago. A public relations rep for the museum had nothing additional to share when contacted by GeekWire.
"While we've enjoyed welcoming Seattle to experience the joy of WNDR Museum this year, we've made the difficult decision to close the doors of our Seattle location effective immediately," the statement reads. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. We've loved our time in the Emerald City and hope our paths cross again in the future!"
WNDR opened in March at the corner of Alaskan Way and Marion Street, in a 13,000-square-foot space in the Maritime Building, which previously sat in the shadow of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
A mural by Seattle artist Stevie Shao between the gift shop and cafe at WNDR in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
The museum, started by a Chicago-based collective of creators working at the intersection of tech and art, featured an array of immersive, multi-sensory experiences showcasing a mix of video, audio, interactive and AI-generated artwork. There was also a cafe and gift shop. It's unknown how many people the museum employed.
David Allen, a creative director with WNDR, previously told GeekWire that the museum was attracted to what he called a "beautiful" art scene in Seattle. There was some hope that WNDR might help attract more visitors to a downtown rattled by the pandemic. Increased arts and culture options are often listed as potential drivers to get more people to visit Seattle's urban core.
Earlier this month, WNDR was promoting a Dec. 7 event called "Fresh Fest Seattle," as a celebration in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with live DJ sets, live art and lettering stations, break-dancing, beatboxing battles and more.
The museum website now only features links to its locations in Chicago, Boston and San Diego. An email link to share questions or concerns about the Seattle closure featured a misspelling in the address on Monday morning. GeekWire has reached out to seattleinquiry@wndrmuseum.com and will update this story if we hear back.
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