Art Vending Machine Seeks Local Artist

Clark Whittington created Art-o-mat in 1997 for an exhibit at a coffee shop in North Carolina. The project has since spread to locations worldwide, including two machines locally. PHOTOS COURTESY CLARK WHITTINGTON

Clark Whittington created Art-o-mat in 1997 for an exhibit at a coffee shop in North Carolina. The project has since spread to locations worldwide, including two machines locally.
PHOTOS COURTESY CLARK WHITTINGTON

When cigarette vending machines were getting phased out in the 1990s, North Carolina-based conceptual artist Clark Whittington decided to put the defunct contraptions to a new use: art dispensers.

The idea has turned into Art-o-mat, converted cigarette vending machines that are filled with artwork available for purchase from hundreds of different artists. There are more than 100 machines throughout the world — including two on Oahu, at Kahala Cosmetic Plastic Surgery and Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House. Honolulu Museum of Art currently is holding a contest for work by local artists to be included in the machine.

“It’s a natural partnership for the museum and is in line with our mission. The Museum Shop has always carried work by local artisans and retailers,” says Honolulu Museum of Art retail manager Cori Mackie, who will be selecting the contest winner alongside Whittington and Spalding House director Aaron Padilla.

“I can’t wait to see what innovative ideas artists submit,” she adds.

Work will be evaluated on craftsmanship and originality and must be submitted by Sept. 19; the winner will be announced Oct. 15.

While Art-o-mat machines now can be found worldwide, it has modest beginnings: In 1997, Whittington had an art show at a coffee shop in North Carolina and decided to bring a machine along and fill it with photographs he’d taken. It was only supposed to stay up for a month. But after the month ended, the owner of the coffee shop asked if they could keep it around. Whittington agreed and decided to invite other artists to create work for the machine.

“That is when the project went from a ‘me’ to a ‘we,’ and we started inviting people — whoever wanted to be involved,” Whittington recalls. “It slowly started to grow. I thought it would just be a one-time art piece, but then other people wanted to be a part of it.”
Screen Shot 2016-09-06 at 4.20.05 PM
It’s that type of inclusivity that seems to define the value of the project for Whittington.

“I think it would have died if I had been too protective over it, but by sharing, I think it brings a lot of people into the fold who either make art or are friends of the artist and it kind of spreads that way,” he says.

The approachable nature of Art-o-mat, he says, can make art feel accessible to new audiences — particularly people who may not typically visit galleries or museums.

“Art in general has had a stigma of being an elitist venture, and that is not what I am about,” he says.

“This machine is meant for everyone,” he adds. “I enjoy introducing art to people.”

And there are benefits for the artists, too. The machines all include pieces by artists from all over the world, and Whittington has heard of participating artists cultivating new fans thanks to Art-o-mat’s distribution.

“The machine is there as a springboard for artists … to gain exposure in places they never would otherwise,” he says.

Whittington will be in town next month to help choose the Art-o-mat winner. While here, he also will be leading a workshop on Promoting Your Art from 10 to 11 a.m. Oct. 15 at Spalding House. To attend, contact Cori Mackie at cmackie@honolulumuseum.org or 375-8704.

For more information on Art-o-mat, visit artomat.org. For details on how to submit work for the Art-o-mat contest, visit honolulumuseum.org/events/15850-art_o_mat_contest.