6AM City In-house

It’s kind of like Woodstock, but a hotel room

Sleep inside an art piece at Louisville’s 21c Museum Hotel
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The artists refer to the work of art as an architectural college. | Photo by LOUtoday
From ugly duckling to immersive art piece, the “Asleep in the Cyclone” room at 21c Museum Hotel downtown is a 1960s timewarp you can sleep in.

Its humble beginnings as an unpopular basement hotel room changed in 2013 when the hotel commissioned New York-based artist collective Jonah Freeman + Justin Lowe to create a site-specific art piece guests could book like any other hotel room.

The main attraction inside the 500-sqft room is a colorful geometric ceiling sculpture reminiscent of both a quilt and stained glass. It begins above the doorway and stretches overhead across the multi-level, carpeted room before landing on the back wall behind the king-size bed.

Loutoday_Cyclone room

The glass cabinet opposite the platform bed is filled with creations by Freeman and Lowe.

Photo by LOUtoday


Everything in the room, aside from the usual hotel amenities, were designed and hand-picked by Freeman and Lowe. Here are a few things of note:
  • Record player with selected records — we spotted Ten Years After and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  • Repurposed barn wood
  • A glass curio cabinet filled with fictional books and 1960-era art
  • Curated blankets and linens
  • Antique writing desk and rocking chair
The Museum Manager for 21c Louisville, Hunter Kissel, said the room references a former 1960s artist commune in southern Colorado called Drop City. The settlement’s structures, where the artists lived and worked, were based off Buckminister Fuller’s geodesic domes — Think: Epcot’s Spaceship Earth and those metal playground domes you used to climb as a kid.

“Not only were they building the domes out there in Colorado, they were finding materials, old buildings, and spare parts to make these things, so they do have a quilt-like pattern to them that this room does, too,” said Hunter.

LOUtoday_Cyclone room

Hunter said returning guests bring their own records to play on the record player.

Photo by LOUtoday


The Cyclone room — which can be booked for about $664 per night — is the only Jonah Freeman + Justin Lowe installation in Derby City.

DYK: Since Louisville is home to the flagship 21c Museum Hotel, it has more site-specific works than any other location. Aside from the Cyclone room, a few others in LOU include the curbside red gemstone limousine, “Wheel of Fortune”, and the “Text Rain” exhibit by the elevator.
Home Cuisine

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Friday, Jan. 6
  • “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” | Friday, Jan. 6-Sunday, Jan. 8 | 6 p.m. | Speed Art Museum Cinema, 2035 S. 3rd St., Louisville | $8-$12 | This award-winning documentary chronicles artist and activist Nan Goldin and her fight against the opioid overdose crisis.
Saturday, Jan. 7
  • Harry Potter Drag Brunch | Saturday, Jan. 7 | 10:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. | Le Moo, 2300 Lexington Rd., Louisville | $40 | See local drag queens perform during this themed brunch buffet — BYOW (bring your own wand).
  • Drop-In Painting | Saturday, Jan. 7 | 12-5 p.m. | Logan Street Market, 1001 Logan St., Louisville | $12-$30 | Choose a canvas and create a masterpiece with help from a Whet Your Palette staff member — all supplies included.
  • Born Crossed Eye | Saturday, Jan. 7 | 8 p.m. | Zanzabar, 2100 S. Preston St., Louisville | $15 | Catch this local Grateful Dead cover band founded in 1991.
Sunday, Jan. 8
  • Elvis, the Colonel, and Author Alanna Nash | Sunday, Jan. 8 | 2-3 p.m. | Frazier Museum Store, 829 W. Main St., Louisville | $0-$14 | Commemorate Elvis’s birthday with Alanna Nash, a local author who spent 45 years writing about the King.
  • Beer Yoga for Beer Bellies! | Sunday, Jan. 8 | 2:30-3:30 p.m. | 3rd Turn Brewing, 10408 Watterson Trail, Louisville | $10 | Stretch into the new year at this all ages class inside a historic church-turned-brewery.
We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
100+ MORE EVENTS
6AM City In-house

There are only 2 chances left to enter a Fly Away Friday Giveaway
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American Airlines latest route takes Louisvillians to Boston. | Photo provided by Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)
Feeling good vibes for 2023? Our fifth Fly Away Friday Giveaway, in partnership with Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), just launched.

LOUtoday readers only have two more chances to win two roundtrip airline tickets out of SDF to their choice of a nonstop destination from a list provided by the airport.

Ready to hit the skies? Enter below by Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 11:59 p.m. ✈️ *
ENTER THE FLY AWAY FRIDAY GIVEAWAY

Weather
  • 43º | Partly cloudy | 5% chance of rain
Closing
  • The game is over for the Highlands’ The Louisville Game Shop. After 18 years of tabletop games, the doors will permanently close at the end of January. A liquidation sale will take place throughout the month with 30%-75% off its merchandise. 🎲
Biz
  • Speaking of the Highlands…restaurant, bar, and performance venue The Bard’s Town is moving from 1801 Bardstown Rd. to the corner of Burnett and Meriweather Avenues in the Schnitzelburg neighborhood. The current location is closed, but the new location will be open sometime in early 2023.
Civic
  • Metro Public Works is providing curbside pickup of Christmas trees in the Urban Service District through January. Louisvillians can place their undecorated trees and other greenery out on their regular yard waste day for pick up — please don’t put them in plastic bags. Do you know your yard waste day? 🌲
Sports
  • The boys in purple are scheduled to hit the pitch for their first home opener of the 2023 season on Saturday, March 25. Louisville City FC will host El Paso Locomotive FC at Lynn Family Stadium and season tickets are already on sale. ⚽
Listen
  • Here comes the brand new flava in ya ear. Louisville Public Media radio hosts dropped their favorite albums of 2022. Kyle Meredith’s top pick was “Being Funny in a Foreign Language” by The 1975 and Laura Shine’s picks included albums from Mitski and Joan Shelley — to give you a taste.
Eat
  • If you’ve ever wondered what goes into making a Blue Dog Bakery baguette, then look no further than this video, which shows the skilled bakers behind those tasty French loaves. Snag one starting at 9 a.m. — and don’t baguette it. 🥖
Play
  • Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is up to $940 million. (Whoa.) Get your tickets online or at a Kentucky Lottery retailer near you for your chance to win big. 💰 *
Travel
Seasonal
  • Don’t let chilly temperatures keep you from going to outdoor sporting events or enjoying local hiking trails. Stock up on HotHands Hand Warmers + keep the feeling in your fingers all season long. Or try this rechargeable electric hand warmer with three different heat levels.*
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6AM City In-house
THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Katie.

Editor’s pick: When you wake up Monday morning and find that we’re not in your inbox, no need to sound the alarms. We’re hitting the pause button for a day, but we’ll be back bright and early on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 6 a.m.

In the meantime, remember that you never have to enjoy your cup of coffee sans LOUtoday. You can always browse some of our greatest hits on our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where we post every day about what’s going on around Louisville.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? That really big tower in Smoketown is getting a makeover.
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Editorial: Katie Molck, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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