Be kind, rewind. If you were around before the new millennium when Blockbuster was booming, you absolutely remember their tagline. With so much hunger for nostalgia, even if you weren’t among the video-rental crazed, you know where the line stems. Sweet Tooth Hotel, created by wife and husband duo Jencey and Cole Keeton, know a little something about that sweet little morsel, nostalgia. However, if nostalgia is an apple picked fresh from the orchard and baked into a pie, their newest installment, Rewind takes the apple, covers it with hot pink syrup and enamel covered sprinkles and launches it into Outerspace only for it to return to Earth in their new 5,000-sq.-ft. location at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farms in Allen, TX. At the center of the exhibit sits a full-blown vintage video store full of VHS tapes and a few secret doors for guests to open and explore. In addition, they’ll be rebooting some cult favorite installations from their previously sold-out exhibits.
North Texas has seen a lot of immersive and interactive art installations through the last few years, in 2021 we’ve seen a Van Gogh exhibit that swept the city and in 2022 we will see a Frida Kahlo exhibition at Lighthouse Dallas. Sweet Tooth Hotel officially launched in 2018 in Dallas with a focus on artistic sugary confections, made by local artists. That push for local artists continues with Rewind. For this iteration of Sweet Tooth Hotel, they’ve selected a curation of artists, from painters to fiber artists, with purposefully different backgrounds and voices. Artists include Multidisciplinary Artist Andy Arkley (Seattle, WA), Fiber Artist and Graphic Designer Hannah Busekrus (Austin, TX), Fiber Artist and Illustrator Niki Dionne (Dallas, TX), Painter, Illustrator and Graffiti Artist Hatziel Flores (Dallas, TX), Fiber Artist and Muralist Sam Lao (Dallas, TX), Experience Producer Madison Mask (Dallas, TX), Multidisciplinary Artist MOM (Dallas, TX), Twinkie Chan (San Francisco, CA) Jackie Lawrence (Denton, TX), Bobcat & Birdie (McAllen, TX), Joanna Lin – Soft Surprise (Dallas, TX) and Ray Albarez (Dallas, TX). Each artist has been given a dedicated space to create their own unique art installation. Guests will also discover the magic of the Rainbow Cave – a brand new creation from the Sweet Tooth Hotel team.
The dedication to showcasing local talent sets Sweet Tooth apart from other immersive so-called “Instagram traps.” Though Sweet Tooth’s installations have always been Instagram-worthy, through the years and partnerships with local talent, Sweet Tooth has cemented itself as a Dallas institution (though Rewind takes place in Allen this year.) A statement that Founder Jencey Keeton echos, “The incredible talent of the artists creating Rewind is unparalleled and we are thankful to continue presenting meaningful experiences with the intent to educate and deliver joy.”
Walking through the exhibition is certainly going to spark joy, Rewind is fun. The installation builds on what Sweet Tooth does best: layered in nostalgia, mixed with high-quality local and national talent, and a healthy topping of futurism that transforms the whole of the exhibition into something that is truly unique. Guests are treated to a new way of viewing art with artists they may have never encountered before, and of course, they get their photo op. Which is why it is also exciting to hear Sweet Tooth Hotel’s forthcoming announcement of its new flagship location in downtown Dallas in the beginning of April 2022, in conjunction with downtown Dallas’ art month. The flagship location plans to open Summer 2022.
Treat yourself or someone else this holiday with a visit to Rewind. Tickets are available at sweettoothhotel.com, $20 for adults, $15 for children 2-12 and Super Sweet tickets are available for $35 and include a limited-edition Sweet Tooth Hotel merch pack and a sweet treat. Children under the age of 2 are free. Hours of entry are Tuesday – Thursday, 12:00pm – 6:00pm, Friday and Saturday, 12:00pm – 8:00pm and Sunday: 12:00pm – 6:00pm. Entry is every 30 minutes, and the number of guests will be limited for the health and safety of all visitors. Sweet Tooth Hotel is also available for private rentals including photoshoots and events.