Down the Rabbit Hole: Inside Alexa Meade's Hand-Painted Wonderland Dreams in NYC

NEW YORK—If someone told Morgan First when she co-founded New York City-based immersive storytelling company Catching Flights that one day, she’d helm an experience where every square inch of a 26,000-square-foot venue was hand-painted, she’d likely say (just as Alice once did to the Mad Hatter), “you’re entirely bonkers.”

And yet on Oct. 7, First debuted Wonderland Dreams, an art exhibit unlike any other, brought to life by D.C.-born artist Alexa Meade. It’s the product of a five-year partnership, which began when the two creatives met at the launch of First’s Rosé Mansion back in 2018. And following a lightbulb moment where large dinner tables adorned with cakes reminded First of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, she told BizBash that she “knew that leaning into that story not only provided a rich context of fun and colorful worlds to play with, but also [would] help us reach a much larger audience of people who could connect to the nostalgia of the story.”Wonderland Dreams was brought to life by artist Alexa Meade (pictured), who has been working on this project since 2018 and is famed for her mastery of painting on three-dimensional objects, as well as on humans.Photo: Mike MonaghanThe art exhibit includes more than 20 dreamscapes that blur the lines between 2D and 3D. Take this room, for example, where the painting of the woman on the right is two-dimensional, and the man on the left is a real person painted to blend into the mural.Photo: Lory Lyon

The result is down the rabbit hole—nearly literally—at 529 Fifth Ave. in Midtown Manhattan, occupying the 20-story building’s ground and lower-level floors. Upon entering through a rainbow arch, ticketed guests descend down a multicolored staircase and are transported into a choose-your-own-adventure-style wonderland.

“At the bottom of the stairs, [guests] are literally confronted with a large looking glass or painting that they can step directly into and start the experience,” First explained.Touchpoints included a room where guests could put on diffraction glasses and walk through what First referred to as a "dancing spandex forest."Photo: Mike Monaghan

The self-guided tour includes more than 20 dreamscapes that blur the lines between 2D and 3D art. One space leads guests into a floral rose field under cloudy skies through a keyhole-shaped entryway. Another is an illusion of geometric black and white shapes, while a third room with patterned walls and multicolored lights changes the perception of the painting as the lights flicker red, green, or blue.

“We truly created a space for both adults and children to play, feel creative, and really [experience] a light-hearted, dreamy escape,” First added.

Another fun touchpoint? Guests can put on “diffraction glasses and make their way through our dancing spandex forest,” First pointed out, or contribute to one of Meade’s patterned walls by drawing on stickers and adding to an attendee-made mural.Unlike an art gallery where framed paintings line the walls of a blank-canvas-like room, Wonderland Dreams invites its viewers to become a part of the art, which makes for no shortage of Insta-worthy photo ops.Photo: Alek MichaudMorgan First, the co-founder of Catching Flights (the production company behind Wonderland Dreams) said she was proud of the installation because it "truly created a space for both adults and children to play, feel creative, and really [experience] a light-hearted, dreamy escape."Photo: Lory Lyon

And when not riding a golden rocking horse, assuming the throne as the Queen of Hearts, or building a house of cards with oversized playing cards, guests can take their seat at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, where objects like teapots and cups, cakes, and even chairs and cutlery appear to have been pulled straight out of a two-dimensional painting and brought into the three-dimensional world. (The tea party table was built out by Studio Cultivate.)

The motif was carried through to the on-site Wine Bar and Café, whisking guests away to wine and dine within the exhibit. First teased that “more is still coming here, but we are building out a story-filled bar where guests can continue to step into stories with their beverages.” For now, the café is, naturally, serving up sparkling wine and cake.Scenicore built out Wonderland Dreams’ walls and large props, including the oversized rainbow entrance, the larger-than-life playing card structures, the hedge maze, and more; meanwhile, Green Lighting Design lit the space.Photo: Mike Monaghan

Unlike an art gallery where framed paintings line the walls of a blank-canvas-like room, Wonderland Dreams invites its viewers to become a part of the art. And although First attributed the immersive nature of the exhibit to its success, she noted that “while building something amazing is a great deal of work, sharing a very new concept with the world is always a challenge, because people do not always know what to compare it to.”

“We are not your traditional pop-up,” First enforced, inviting guests to come see Wonderland Dreams for themselves now through April 2023. The exhibit is open every day except Tuesday, with tickets starting at $26 for kids and $36 for adults.Throughout the self-guided tour, guests will discover a floral rose field under cloudy skies, a geometric room painted in black and white, rocking horses, the Queen of Hearts's throne, and much more.Photo: Phoebe Lucienne