What is an Art-o-mat® you ask? If the name suggests some connection with the culture of automation (and naming) of the 1950s and 1960s, you're right on track. A group called Artists in Cellophane, the brain child of artist Clark Whittington, operates a fleet of old cigarette vending machines from the period that now dispense art rather than cigarettes--machines Whittington has dubbed Art-o-mats®.
I first encountered an Art-o-mat® in the entrance lobby of the Crocker Museum of Art, in Sacramento, in the summer of 2012 on my first visit to that museum. A $5 bill and a pull on a lever dispensed a cigarette pack-sized art object of my choice (eventually--the machines are old, finicky, and not tolerant of much deviation from the size and weight of a cigarette pack; my choice got stuck and a staff member had to open the machine with a key to retrieve it). If you're old enough to remember cigarette machines, the idea makes instant sense. I had to buy something, just to support the whimsy. Sitting on my bookshelf now is a small (very small) painting of a Laysan Duck by artist Alice Dean. I had misplaced the little painting right after buying it, until yesterday, when looking through a small travel bag I had used that day two years ago, I finally found the purchase again. The finding of my little duck portrait and seeing the article about the Art-o-mat® coming a day apart was the serendipity that prompted this post.
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Great article Colin. One correction: The Art-o-mat is in San Carlos, not San Mateo. 610 Elm Street.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I knew that, but typed San Mateo for some reason. Corrected.
ReplyDeleteThe Art-o-Mat is such a brilliant intersection of art, nostalgia, and mechanical engineering! Taking retired, heavy-duty cigarette machines from the mid-20th century and repurposing them to dispense miniature original works of art is pure genius. Instead of cigarettes, you pull a heavy steel knob, hear that unmistakable mechanical clunk, and walk away with a tiny painting, sculpture, or print packaged in a cigarette pack box. It’s an amazing way to make art accessible while keeping vintage machinery alive in quirky spots like museums, cafes, and galleries.
ReplyDeleteIt really proves that mechanical vending has an aesthetic soul far beyond basic candy and chips. If seeing these retro art-dispensers sparks a love for classic mechanics and you're inspired to bring physical automated retail into your own space, checking out Irelley is a fantastic move for good quality, refurbished, and rental machines that let you capture that cool, tangible experience on your own terms!