Don't Go 'Round Artless

After stumbling across this blog yesterday, I realized that I have never, in my almost year of blogging, ever blogged about Art-O-Mats.  If you could walk through my house, you would see what a travesty it is that I have overlooked them in my blogging.  Art-O-Mats are cigarette vending machines that have been refurbished to vent small, cigarette-pack-sized pieces of art for generally $5 per piece.  In early 2002, my very first art-o-mat piece was purchased from the original Art-O-Mat machine at Mary's Of Course Cafe in Winston-Salem, NC, which was initially an art installation itself.  Since then, I've collected from machines all over NC and even as far away as the machine in the Whitney Museum in NYC.  I haven't counted recently, but I would guess my art-o-mat collection stands somewhere around 150.  I have everything from from earrings, necklaces, photographs, paintings, carved wood blocks, pottery, blown glass, ceramics, stained glass, and metal in nearly every room of my house.  The photos below capture only half or less of our art-o-mat collection.  The kids each have their own art-o-mat collections in their rooms as well.

These small black and white photos hang on my living room wall.

The collection in Paulie and Philip's room.

The collection in Elizabeth's room.

The piece I bought for Finn
shortly after becoming pregnant with him.

Philip's favorite piece.

Elizabeth's favorite piece.

(the ceramic turtle was an art-o-mat, the glass turtle I made)

My first art-o-mat was from the series below.  I loved it so much and credit Alicia Griswold, the poet and painter of this series, for first attracting my attention to art-o-mats.  After trying to collect the entire series through the machines and giving away many duplicates, I contacted Alicia, and she kindly made an entire set for me.  They hang in our bedroom over our reading chair and bring immeasurable peace to that space.  (In my house, that says alot.)

My original display cubes for art-o-mats.  

They remain in another corner of our bedroom.

If you'd like to find an Art-O-Mat near you, please check here for locations.