“Boombox 11” a part of “The Boombox Project” © Lyle Owerko. Courtesy of SOCO Gallery

The Mint Museum announced the addition of a new, experimental space on level 5 of the Uptown location this week across from the Mattye and Marc Silverman Grand Room. This 15,000-square-foot expansion space was part of the original construction of Levine Center for the Arts, but it was left unfinished when the Uptown location opened in 2010. According to The Mint, “Level 5 represents a very different type of space for the museum – an industrial space that will address community needs related to experimenting with new and creative art concepts, accommodating larger exhibitions, and providing the ability to showcase more of its permanent collection.”

With these goals in mind and to mark the first public use of this expansion space, the museum will host a pop-up gallery featuring Lyle Owerko’s “The Boombox Project.” Opening September 19th, “The Boombox Project” showcases 15 photographs from Owerko’s iconic series devoted to the boomboxes of the 1970s and 1980s. Owerko memorializes an important time in America’s cultural history before Spotify, iPods and MP3s were available and punk, rap, hip-hop and New Wave were gaining momentum.

Owerko is a photographer, filmmaker and cultural anthropologist. His work has been featured in Time magazine, Communication Arts and New York magazine. He uses a large-format Hasselblad camera to reveal the intricate details and personalities of a machine now outmoded but still an important icon of our popular culture. The boombox was initially identified with certain segments of urban society, but as it grew in popularity, the boombox came to represent portable entertainment and a means of self-expression and rebellion.

“The Boombox Project” is organized by SOCO Gallery, founded by Charlotte philanthropist Chandra Johnson. It is free and open to the public, and will close October 19th. This is the Mint Museum’s first exploratory use of the space, which is still raw and will give visitors an opportunity to have a behind-the-scenes look at the building’s architecture. The space will be used for other pilot programs as the museum develops long-term plans for its growth.

Mint Museum Uptown: 500 South Tryon St., Charlotte; 704-337-2000; www.mintmuseum.org. Hours are Wed., 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sun., 1 – 5 p.m.