Hoping to further ignite imaginations in their Broomfield neighborhood, Hypnotic Turtle DreamBox founders Arlo and Kim Kennedy White are opening a second mini art gallery later this month.
“My wife and I formed this as an art collaborative,” Arlo White said.
The first miniaturized exhibit for the newest DreamBox is “Perspectives” by Colorado artist Kristin Aslan, with an opening reception on July 29 from 7-11 p.m. at 115 Garnet St. Musician Victoria Lundy will perform at 9 p.m. on the theremin, an electronic music instrument played without making physical contact.
The couple first built a shadow box display in August 2019, which mimicked an existing Free Little Library outside their home.
With the outbreak of COVID-19 the following spring, White said the “box of magic and art” took on added importance.
“It gave our neighborhood something to walk by every day,” he said.
The creative couple were inspired to create the site after discovering the Morrison Street Minigallery while vacationing in Portland in 2017.
“We were just kind of blown away,” he said.
The concept has gained in popularity since that time, White said.
“Little galleries are everywhere and they're popping,” he said. “It’s a great little way to be creative in your community.”
While the initial DreamBox was intended to house rotating displays, after COVID struck the idea was put on hold.
“That's going to kind of be the standard-bearer box,” he said.
In addition to White’s earlier “Science Fiction” exhibit, the new DreamBox features work by Aslan with subsequent creations forthcoming.
White, who has produced the weekly Hypnotic Turtle Radio broadcast since 2004, has also included audio elements with the DreamBox exhibits.
“I have a radio transmitter that you can come by the box and turn your car radio to 90.7 and hear the sound from inside the box,” he said.
The multi-pronged creative ventures fall under a single banner, White said.
“I am hypnotic turtle,” he said. “There is a connecting aesthetic to everything and obviously, they blend together because it's me and my mind.”
