M.I.A.U. (Unfinished Museum of Urban Art)

The "Museo Inacabado de Arte Urbano," or "MIAU," has no walls, doors, or admission fee. Calling it an outdoor museum doesn't exactly sum it up either–the museum is housed on the streets of Fanzara, an otherwise peaceful and quiet mountainside town.

MIAU is called "unfinished" because it is constantly changing. Artists from around the world travel to Fanzara to adorn the old-fashioned houses with their futuristic art. Most pieces are psychedelic murals depicting robots, giant cats, aliens, beautiful cyborg women, and other oddities. There are also installations: antique chairs jutting out from one wall like exposed rebar; or colorful cars flattened against another facade. Bright and obvious works of art are mixed in with more subtle, hidden ones, and there is something interesting just around every corner.

The Unfinished Museum of Urban Art has brought new life to Fanzara. In addition to art lovers of all kinds, students from grade school all the way up to fine arts institutions visit the town to attend workshops and film screenings. The residents of Fanzara take part in creating and maintaining the art as well, and it's not uncommon to find a hip muralist in a face mask being assisted by several spraypaint-wielding abuelas.