After Christmas, our younger daughter and the two of us headed into “the city” to visit the WNDR Museum. In the best current tradition of abbreviating everything (or maybe they couldn’t buy any vowels), WNDR equates to “Wonder” and wonder-filled it is.
Designed to challenge your ideas about a museum and inviting you to interact (and take a million selfies), the museum is full of color, lights, and action. Yes, it’s completely geared to the “all about me/selfie-taking” generation but it’s lots of fun for us oldies, too.
Speaking of oldies, can you say 60’s? (In case you’re too young to know what “60’s” means, that’s the 1960’s, last century!!)
The walls of this room are covered with discs. 🙂
You’re only able to go in one direction and even though we were there when the museum opened, there were quite a few people for the small space. So you keep moving, trying to take turns and stay out of the way of everyone else. But sometime you overlap, as in this room. No smoke, but lots of mirrors and light that activated when you stepped or lay on them.
Get the lights going!
Small but mighty. 🙂
And then there was the infinity room. Each group has one minute in it, which isn’t nearly enough! This was in the middle and then there was an entire room filled with mirrors and shiny silver balls. To see where there are (or were) more infinity installations, click here. It’s fascinating to see the variety. You might also want to read more about Yayoi Kusama, the artist.
I hope you enjoyed a taste of this unique museum. It’s rather expensive at $32 per person and as I said, you can’t go back through any of the rooms. If you decide to visit, I’d recommend getting your tickets in advance online (they’re timed) and get there right when they open, giving you the possibility of scoring free parking, a miracle in Chicago, in the surrounding blocks. We parked directly across from the museum.
If you decided you’d like to have some coffee, tea, or food afterwards, I highly recommend walking about one block to Groundswell Coffee Roasters location at 1168 w Madison St. Chicago, IL 60607. Our daughter said the espresso was very good, my husband’s hot cider was delicious, and not only did they have tea, but it’s sourced by the owner and the baristas knew how to brew it properly! The tea lover in me deeply approved and appreciated.
for Jo’s Monday Walk
This, that and the other thing 
Looks fun!
It was a lot of fun. I see that you’re in a nice, warm place once again. I hope all went well for the move.
I hope to get back to Chicago for a visit. I will try to add this to the list. It sounds like a fun experience.
It was unique and certainly fun. I’d suggest taking some time going through the rooms. It’s easy to rush through too quickly.
It does look wonderful, and I loved your pictures, but I would find it very frustrating to only be able to walk in one direction, especially if I’d paid $32 per head for the experience. And one minute in an infinity room is too ironic!
Ha, yes, one minute of infinity IS ironic. I don’t supposed anyone would notice if you went back to a room and I’m sure some people have sneaked through a second time (saw that on one review.) But if I were going again, I’d just take more time in each room (except the infinity room, as you’re timed.) I would have just enjoyed going again when I knew what to look at and for.
Fabulous, exactly what art is meant to do, engage and question.
You’d definitely enjoy it, Sally. There are other infinity rooms in other places, so there might be one of those near you.
How cool is that! Love the lights.
The lights were great.
Just a morsel of cake for stamina, Janet? 🙂 🙂 Thanks for linking and commenting so wonderfully all year. Wish you much joy in 2020.
It’s always fun to walk with you, Jo. I wish the same for you.
What fun! I don’t know if I could tolerate a whole minute in that infinity room. I believe they’d have to send a small child to lead me out by the hand after 30 seconds. It looks freaky, as we used to say in the 60s. And of course you know what we say about the 60s: If you can remember them, you weren’t really there. lol
What I showed of the infinity room was just that one small bit in the middle that you could look into. Overall it was like where you see mirrors that seem to go on forever, except that there were other objects in the room. It was very cool. (I do remember that saying about the 60’s and I was there…and I remember.) 🙂
janet
Looks like fun, and I especially like the last photo.
It was a lot of fun, Judy. I’d like to go again if it weren’t so expensive. I’d take more time this time.
What a fabulous looking and unique place Janet. That last image is fantastic!
Thanks, Tina. I wasn’t at all sure how I was going to like it, but it was quite something. I would have loved more time in the infinity room, that’s for sure.
Oh, that is SO on my agenda now, Janet — thanks!
You’d all love it, Joey!
Ah, this is so much like the Color Factory in SF! Yes, it’s so much about the selfie opportunities, but it’s also just a whole lot of fun. I really enjoyed it when I went with my parents, and none of us take selfies anyway.
It really is a whole lot of fun, Hannah. We enjoyed going with our daughter. I think it was more fun then if we’d gone by ourselves.
thanks for this awesome art post.
look forward to going there sometime.
and Janet – it really is amazing when a tea lover like yourself is pleased with the tea service – so that is huge.
🙂 The museum is, at least to me, unique and we really enjoyed it. You will too if you get there.
🙂
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This looks like so much fun.
It was. Expensive but fun.
As in all of these places, always expensive.