Art-o-mats are retired cigarette vending machines, converted into original art dispensers and placed in art museums in cities worldwide. This Art-o-mat is in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street.
Art-o-mats are retired cigarette vending machines, converted into original art dispensers and placed in art museums in cities worldwide. This Art-o-mat is in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street.
Much better idea than dispensing cigarettes. The machines look lovely though.
ReplyDeleteHow neat, a great way to reuse something everyone recognizes.
ReplyDeleteKool! er, I mean cool.
ReplyDeleteI remember when these machines were everywhere and it was a thrill to pull the lever and have a brand new pack of cigarettes come sliding down the chute. Unfortunately, what you got was usually a pack of stale cigarettes.
The machines definitely work better as art than for their original purpose.
This is so cool! Don't remember seeing them. Do they really dispense art, and do you know where you'd buy tokens?
ReplyDeleteThis is also a way to prove how it could be easy to convert industrial features into beautiful piece of art.
ReplyDeleteThank you Clarice, Jim, Clueless, R&R and Fabrizio--and hi Clarice, it's nice to meet you! These are really neat machines, the tokens are available at the cultural center gift shop just across from where it is--
ReplyDeleteI remember these machines when they acutally dispensed cigarettes. I think they were pretty common, at least on the south side where I grew up. The way that they have been recycled and reengineered is very clever.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dan
ReplyDeleteI am so culturally not in the loop!! cute photo and cute idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks Neva
ReplyDeletehow fascinating, what sort of art do they dispense? size? is it random or can you see the item and get the one you choose? The machines are a work of art in themselves.
ReplyDeleteChicago has changed so much since I left there in 1988--seemingly for the better. Art-O-Mats are an example of how it's changed (so is the big silver bean).
ReplyDeleteFound you through Jim in Terrell, Texas and I love your blog. Just a new one I'm going to have to check every day!
Thank you Sam and Petrea!
ReplyDeletesam, i'll have to go back and buy something before i can tell you, i do know that the artomat artists are varied, some work in textile, some are painters, etc. i imagine the pieces are mini versions of their regular work
Petrea, thanks for coming by and i hope to see you here again
I'm an artomat artist also. I've added a separate area on my blog to list artomat artist blog. Mosey over and click on my follow button so we can promote each other. ;)
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