Art-o-mat, art-o-fun

Every day students walk past that out-of-place retro vending machine in the CUB, unsure of what it is, what it does, or if it even works. That machine, called the Art-O-Mat, sells original one-of-a-kind art from artists across the country, for only $5 apiece.

SEB will host a “Hang Out with the Art-O-Mat” event with free ice cream, a photo booth, and the option to create your own Art-O-Mat artwork in the CUB Gallery on Wednesday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Clark Whittington created the first Art-O-Mat as a personal art project. A single machine vended his work in a local coffee shop for an exhibition, but when the exhibition ended the coffee shop owners wanted to keep the Art-O-Mat. Whittington started making more machines and finding artists to fill them. Today, there are machines across the U.S., in Canada, Australia, and Austria.

“I like to think, in a way, artists choose us,” said Peter Bullock, an artist whose art is vended in the machine.

Bullock, who originally found out about the machines by buying art from one, said he thought it was a cool idea, as a lot of people seem to be afraid of art, thinking they have to invest a lot of money to be a collector.

“People should not be afraid of art,” Bullock said.

Bullock uses stamps to create little collages to sell in the Art-O-Mat. Although he said he’s not a stamp collector, he owns kilos of interesting stamps to use like mosaic tiles in his art. Bullock said all of his works are a little different, like the prize in cracker jacks.

“Artists are pretty much the people who have made it stay around this long,” Whittington said.

Heather Hansma, an illustrator living in Detroit, said she got involved with the Art-O-Mat to spread her art. Her art is available in the CUB Art-O-Mat.

“It’s a great way to get your art seen outside your local art scene,” Hansma said.

When Whittington made the Art-O-Mat in 1997, he was living and Salem and cigarette vending machines had just been outlawed, he said. He repurposed cigarette machines because they were cheap and available.

Whittington said he creates a design for the look of the machine, and then works with specialists to refurbish the machines to match his vision. He said he stopped creating art outside of the Art-O-Mat a few years ago in order to fully dedicate himself to this not-for-profit company.

“They aren’t out to make a lot of money,” Bullock said.

Whittington said it would be ideal if people in this country lived with art, or at least realize that everything they touch was created with some sort of design or artistic vision in mind. He said, although he can’t be cynical about what makes people happy, he finds the commercial art people tend to use to decorate their homes disgusting.

“I think they’re missing an opportunity for something genuine and something real,” Whittington said. “I think in most cases when it reaches their hand, it makes a connection and opens their mind a bit.”