ArtNomads went fully nomadic in August of 2023, and crossed the upper Midwest USA on what we called our HiLine Roadtrip, down to Chicago. Our first stop upon arriving in Chicago was WNDR-Chicago (Wonder Chicago).
In our art travel adventures, we’ve been to several so-called immersive art experiences, from VanGogh in Paris to Dreamscapes in Utah and MeowWolf in both Las Vegas and Denver.
It had been over a decade since we moved from Chicago, and we wanted to see what was new, particularly in the West Loop, where we’d lived and based our galleries for 9 some years.
Oh man, the changes – what used to be light, airy and honestly a little funky is now mostly a sea of residential blocks/towers blotting out the sun and soaking up what used to be plenty of free parking. But I digress.
In addition to a ton of gallery moves out of West Loop into West Town (more later), WNDR Global, a firm that calls itself “a collective of thinkers, artists, poets, and designers working at the intersection of art and technology” has opened WNDR-Chicago, one of 4 locations nationwide.
The Chicago outpost apparently opened to a bit of excitement and fanfare in 2018, claiming over 20 interactive rooms, and with general ticket prices of around $35. While the website still shows tickets “from” $32, beware the “peak pricing” rates after 10 am or so, coupled with a mandatory “service fee” (there is no option except to buy online – even standing in front of the counter); our total was $78.40.
I was particularly excited at the prospect of the much-touted Yayoi Kusama infinity room, as we’ve enjoyed prior iterations in other cities.
WNDR left me feeling mostly flat. Rather than a wander-in-wonder experience like MeowWolf, attendees must follow a prescribed flow, clearly marked with arrows on the floor; the creators clearly influenced by haunted house design (and cashflow, it seems).
There are a few fun installations; we particularly enjoyed the interactive light floor, which was sensitive to both pressure and time, creating vivid, swirling, outer-spacey effects that encouraged me to dance, slide, spin and generally act like a kid. Props.
Most of the other installations were fairly predictable and utilized tech that’s been around since Wii. In fact, I’d argue some of the low-tech (painted) areas were more interesting. At least those invited interpretation. The whole place felt neglected, tired.
The biggest letdown was, in fact, the Kusama. Touted as a 3-story installation, it is in fact a small bubble set in a large atrium with a couple more suspended polka-dot balloon bubbles. Although there was literally no one behind us in line, we were informed we’d have 60 seconds in the room. An employee literally timed us with a stopwatch. One could understand this if 100 people were waiting. But there weren’t. As the last “experience” in WNDR, it left a sour taste, and a general feeling of ripped-offed-ness.
Our Take
ArtNomads’ conclusion? In our opinion, this is NOT one of the Top 10 Things to Do In Chicago.
Skip this iteration of WNDR-Chicago and instead enjoy the actual museums in town, like MCA-Chicago, the Art Institute, or any others – of which there are a delightful array. If you’re traveling, save your money for MeowWolf, or even Dreamscapes in Salt Lake.
Last Edit: 1/20/2026 – formatting issues, readability