PULLMAN, Wash. – Original, affordable art will be available at the pull of a lever when Washington State University Pullman unveils its new Art-o-mat at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, in the CUB.
Retired cigarette vending machines converted to vend art, Art-o-mats can be found in 100 locations – museums, universities, galleries, community centers, coffee shops – nationwide. The WSU machine will be the first in the Inland Northwest and the second in Washington.
Artist and Art-o-mat creator Clark Whittington will speak at 6:30 p.m. in the CUB auditorium, followed by a CUB art gallery reception organized by the Student Entertainment Board arts committee. The reception will feature a new Ferdinand’s (WSU Creamery) ice cream inspired by the installation, art giveaways and a complimentary photo booth to commemorate the event.
Art from the machine costs $5. WSU’s machine will have a Cougar Card reader and bill reader.
“The Art-o-mat is one of the most innovative art installations I have seen, and its interactivity with students is something that WSU should be proud of,” said SEB arts programmer Cera Rodriguez. “Our goal with the committee is to make art accessible to everyone, and the Art-o-mat does this.”
About 400 artists from 10 different countries provide works for the Art-o-mat project. Half of the proceeds from Art-o-mat sales goes to the artists and half helps maintain and restocking the machine.
Find more – including photos of retro Art-o-mats – at http://www.artomat.org/.