You’ve probably noticed that the Upper Level is undergoing some construction. We’re about a month out from the unveiling of The Wonder Sound, our largest and most immersive installation to date, opening in June. We’ve delved into details of The Wonder Sound world in our newsletter and Instagram, but what about the mastermind behind it? Who is Wes Sam-Bruce and what does The Wonder Sound mean to him?

Wes Sam-Bruce grew up in Northern California with the forest as his backyard. He was an only child and had a small family, so most of his time was spent outside playing, imagining and creating. He recalls wanting to be an artist from a very early age – and even though his dreams ebbed and flowed throughout his life (at one point, he thought his calling was to rescue baby birds and frogs from volcanoes) – he finally came back to being an artist because he realized he couldn’t continue without knowing where art would take him. At first, he was hesitant. “Was art just a serious thing for serious people?” Wes asked himself. He wasn’t sure where his art would fall in the world, but he definitely knew where his best inspiration came from.