Have You Seen the Cigarette Machine That Sells Art?

December 26, 2009 | Story by: Hal Goodtree | Categories: Arts

Cary, NC – Several years ago, I met artist Clark Whittington at a film festival in Winston-Salem. Cigarette sales by vending machine had recently been banned in North Carolina and Wittington had the brilliant idea of using the unwanted machines as a way to sell art.

It started in 1997 with one machine at a cafe in Winston. Thirteen years later, Whittington has 80 machines installed across the country (and in Canada and Europe as well). They’re called Art-o-mats, and you can find them at the Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles, the Miami Museum of Art and the Whitney in New York City. Cary has one, too.

Whittington’s first machine sold his black & white photos for a dollar a pack. The website describes his idea for the original Art-o-mat:

“The inspiration for Art-o-mat® came to artist Clark Whittington while observing a friend who had a Pavlovian reaction to the crinkle of cellophane. When Whittington’s friend heard someone opening a snack, he had the uncontrollable urge to have one too.”

Thus was born Artists-In-Cellophane. Over 400 people have contributed art to the project. David Pagel of the Los Angeles Times wrote:

“For $5, you get a handsomely crafted abstract painting from Alex Norwood’s ‘Landscapes From Other Planets’ series. Or a matchbox-size bronze sculpture of a logging truck made by a group of 18 artists working in the village of Krofofrom, near the town of Kumasi in Ghana, West Africa. Or a ring made of green beads by Japanese artist Naoko Higashi.”

In addition to the L.A. Times, Art-o-mat has been featured by Art News, Conde Naste Traveler, CBS, the Chicago Tribune and Newsweek.

Currently, Cary’s Art-o-mat is touring the town on its way to a permanent home in the new Community Art Center (scheduled to open in August 2011).  Through March 15, 2010, you can see it (and become an art collector for five bucks) at the Middle Creek Community Center.  Here’s the full schedule of the tour:

Through March 15, 2010    –    Middle Creek Community Center
Mar 16 – Apr 23, 2010    –    Cary Senior Center
Apr 24, 2010    –    Spring Daze Festival
Apr 25 – Jun 15, 2010    –    Cary Senior Center
Jun 16 – Aug 27, 2010    –    Bond Park Community Center
Aug 28, 2010    –    Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival
Aug 29 – Nov 15, 2010    –    Herb Young Community Center
Nov 16 – Jan 15, 2011    –    Cary Tennis Park
Jan 16 – Apr 22, 2011    –    Page Walker Arts & History Center
Apr 23, 2011    –    Spring Daze Festival
Apr 24 – Aug 15, 2011    –    Town Hall

Composite illustration above from photos by Joe Shlabotnik via a Creative Commons license on Flickr.