After selling out since its post-pandemic re-opening in February 2021, WNDR Museum is thrilled to announce the launch of its new extended hours and brand new WNDR Shop just in time for summer. WNDR Museum is now open seven days a week.
In addition to engaging with WNDR’s immersive art and technology installations, guests can now find unique items from a revolving list of local makers, artists and nonprofit organizations at the WNDR Shop alongside special WNDR-branded merchandise. Items include jewelry, glass magnets, original books, apparel, miniature sculptures, stickers, greeting cards, enamel pins and more.
WNDR Shop Debuts Featuring Local Makers Including Matthew Hoffman, Kiku Handmade, Yollocalli Arts Reach and More. Photo credit WNDR Museum
“We wanted to create an opportunity to showcase some of Chicago’s amazing makers who have all been hit hard over the past year with the pandemic,” said WNDR Museum spokesperson Nora Daley. “The WNDR Shop offers a unique, handmade item for everyone while also supporting Chicago’s arts community.”
WNDR Museum’s new operating hours are outlined below:
- Monday-Friday: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
- Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
About The WNDR Shop Makers
After School Matters
After School Matters provides Chicago teens the opportunity to explore their passions and develop their talents through world-class after school and summer programs across Chicago. Teens work with artisan instructors to perfect their craft and create a variety of items such as greeting cards, pencil cases and playing cards. Not only are teens able to express their voice through these creations, but they also gain critical skills that help prepare them for future careers, college and beyond. All proceeds directly support After School Matters programs, instructors and the organization’s talented teens. For more information, visit AfterSchoolMatters.org.
Angelica London, Lit Kit Art Box
Headquartered in Chicago, Lit Kit Art Box offers art boxes that tap into the creativity of any novice or expert artist. Each box comes with numerous art supply surprises along with step-by-step painting instructions and a portion of sales from every box is donated to a scholarship fund for minority art students. For more information, visit LitKitArtBox.com.
Christopher Branson
Christopher Branson is an art director, designer and artist creating a variety of original books and art-focused books. His practice involves intuition of process, moving between figuration, abstraction and conceptualization simultaneously. For more information, visit christopherbranson.com.
Erica Castillo, Tiger Moth Goods
Chicago jewelry designer Erica Castillo’s Tiger Moth Goods feature a wide variety of jewelry items made primarily from polymer clay. Castillo’s designs reflect bright, bold and quirky themes drawing from nature, food and even outer space. For more
information, visit TigerMothGoods.com.
Laurie Freivogel, Kiku Handmade
Laurie Freivogel’s glass studio, Kiku Handmade, has been carving a creative niche at the intersection of glass fusing and print making since 2004. She creates screen-printed, fused glass home goods in her Oak Park, Ill. studio. Freivogel holds a BFA in drawing from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Her line of colorful and contemporary coasters, platters, bowls and more is inspired by pop culture, pattern and nature. For more information, visit KikuHandmade.com.
Inga and Evija, Vallets
Designers and artists Inga and Evija handcraft one-of-a-kind fashion accessories. They discovered their passion for designing upon immigrating to the United States from Latvia in the early 2000s. Their wallets and money clips feature sustainable recycled fabrics and positive messaging For more information, visit Vallets.com.
Matthew Hoffman, You Are Beautiful
Matthew Hoffman’s acclaimed “You Are Beautiful” initiative started as a passion project in 2002 with 100 stickers and a goal to help people feel better on a daily basis. The Chicago community has since rallied around the message which has spread worldwide. Hoffman has since expanded his work to create a variety of items featuring several uplifting messages. For more information, visit You-Are-Beautiful.com.
Natalie Standiferd, Ghost Eyes
Natalie Standiferd is the designer and maker of Ghost Eyes, a sustainably handsome Chicago-based fiber arts jewelry brand. Standiferd specializes in illustrating with sequins, beads and fringe. Inspired by 1960s and 1990s pop culture, her work offers a unique take on iconic subjects like yin yangs, smiley faces and rainbows—all sparkling in sequins and beads that have been individually hand sewn with cotton thread onto felt. All jewelry is made from new, recycled and upcycled goods. For more information, visit GhostEyes.net.
Reformed School
Led by founder and creative director Peter Gaona, Reformed School uses fashion and accessories as educational tools. Their items combine art, fashion and eco-friendly materials featuring themes from Black History, pop culture, social justice and the environment. For more information, visit Reformed-School.com.
Transit Tees
Transit Tees takes visuals from Chicago's metropolitan landscapes and transforms them into fashionable artwork, accessories, home goods and more. An official manufacturer of Chicago Transit Authority products, Transit Tees locally designs and fabricates their signature items in their Wicker Park design studio. For more information, visit TransitTees.com.
Yollocalli Arts Reach
Yollocalli Arts Reach is the youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art
located in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. The organization offers free arts and culture programs for teens and young adults. Purchases of ‘weird teen art’ support Yollocalli’s endeavor to provide innovative, urban art experiences to Chicago’s youth. For more information, visit Yollocalli.org.
Tickets to WNDR Museum are $30 must be purchased in advance at WNDRmuseum.com. Children ages two and under receive free admission. Follow WNDR Museum on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok using #wndrmuseum.
About WNDR Museum
WNDR Museum is Chicago’s original immersive art and technology experience located in the city’s West Loop neighborhood at 1130 W. Monroe St. The 10,000-square-foot museum is filled with interactive artworks by cutting edge artists, collectives, technologists, designers and makers. WNDR disrupts and redefines the traditional museum experience. As guests travel through the WNDR Museum, they are taken on a multi-dimensional journey in which they serve as an extension of each creator by interacting with various installations. More than 20 installations awaken guests’ senses throughout WNDR’s mind-blowing experiences. In May 2021, WNDR Museum was voted one of the top five immersive art experiences in the country by USA Today’s Reader Poll. For more information, visit WNDRmuseum.com.