DENVER -- A colorful storefront is making people stop and take a second look, and that's exactly what the artists behind this installation want. Posters in the window promote a message of kindness and quote the king of kindness, Mr. Rogers.
"I was personally very inspired by Fred Rogers, I have been for a long time and after reading some of his writings, I kind of latched onto the idea of kindness and radical honesty and decided to go that direction," said K Vuletich, one of the artist involved in the project.
She calls it the 'Kindness Bodega' and the idea is to cultivate kindness and community.
"It seems simple, doesn’t it? But I think sometimes it can be hard, especially when we are alone. We tend to forget how to treat each other with dignity, kindness and compassion but I think now more than ever it’s particularly important," said Vuletich.
Vuletich and fellow artist Sarah Espinoza were originally planning to do a completely different art installation but when COVID-19 hit, their plans changed.
"Because of COVID-19 people can’t really touch objects and they can’t be in close proximity to each other, they can’t really be in close spaces with one another so we decided to shift this," said Vuletich.
You can find the installation at a space called The Storefront, where artists can showcase their work. It's located near the corner of 17th Street and Vine in Denver but you don't have to visit the space to get involved.
The artists behind the Kindness Bodega are asking community members to submit post cards and digital recordings that will be compiled on their website.
“So my hope for it, honestly, is that as many people contribute as possible and that they’re able to get something out of it in return too," said Vuletich.
Audio recordings can be submitted online and post cards can be mailed to PO Box 847 Broomfield, CO 80038.
"We have seen a number of post cards from people that have been particularly sweet, just like saying simple messages of kindness to their neighbors," said Vuletich.