The $2 fee is used primarily to support the arts. Most of the publicity has been through word of mouth, he said. He hasn't had any trouble finding artists who want to have their works exhibited in Art-o-Mat. "I wanted to find a way to make it more accessible."Ĭollaborating with fellow artist George Doles, Whittington has set up a small collective called "Artists in Cellophane" to keep the machines filled with artistic treasures. "Art has a stigma of being pretentious," he said. Whittington has been surprised by the popularity of the machines. For example, under the coin slot is a sticker with a telling message: "Sales of Art to Minors are not Forbidden by Law." But Whittington subtly changed a few things while keeping their old charm. And the tobacco industry always has been a strong supporter of the arts."Īrt patrons need to ante up for their new treasures by diligently inserting eight quarters into the slot, as many of them once did for a pack of butts.Īt first glance, the machines appear to be the real deal. "I know a lot of people who have family who worked for years in tobacco plants. "Living here in Winston-Salem, I've seen both phases of tobacco," he said. Whittington became enchanted with old cigarette vending machines because of their "retro" look, not because he wanted to make a politically correct statement on the dangers of teen smoking. He's displaying original works from 40 artists from as close as Winston-Salem to as far away as Ohio. Whittington, 31, is hoping Art-o-Mat will hook people on art instead of nicotine. There's also a "Pack of Poems," which contains four tiny scrolls featuring original poetry. In what he calls a cosmic fluke, Clark Whittington came up with the idea of incorporating a 1950s vintage cigarette machine for a work of conceptual art he called Art-o-Mat.Instead of selling packs of Camel or Winston cigarettes, Art-o-Mat dispenses similar-sized art works, ranging from "Dog Chewed Matter" (with the aid of Whittington's mixed-breed puppy, Maggie), to ones with intriguing titles like "Chunks" and "Surf & Turf." As cigarette vending machines teeter toward extinction, a young artist in this old tobacco town believes he has found a new niche for a few of the survivors.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |