I like to take people to the Cary Arts Center when they visit me, because there’s usually something cool in their art gallery. Right now, it’s “Coded Responses” by Mark Nystrom, an interesting collection of artistic data visualization, mostly of wind measurements. But, no matter what’s currently showing in the gallery, the best part of the visit is just outside, at the Art-o-Mat.
It’s a vending machine for art!
Art-o-mats repurpose old cigarette vending machines to dispense art! They’re really cool and retro-looking, and there are a bunch of different locations nationwide. Maybe there’s one near you! At the Cary Arts Center, you pay $5 to get a token from the desk, and select your artist. Each of the slots normally taken up by brands is for a different artist (most local), plus one “mystery surprise” slot, which is, of course, always tempting. Last time I went, there were clay beads, abstract painting, kits for folding paper monsters, and wire sculptures as choices. But I had to pick the one tab that just said “Crystal Ladd”:
This is what you get–they come in little boxes just like cigarettes
It turns out Crystal Ladd is someone’s name! She makes earrings:
They’re cute!
The box usually has the name, email address, and maybe other contact info on it for the artist. In this case there was a link to her etsy store. Also, unlike on other occasions, the box also had candy and a fortune inside!
I’m bad at taking pictures
I was really happy with this outcome–sometimes the Art-o-mat can vary in terms of quality and/or weirdness, but it’s always worth it for entertainment value alone. For instance, I was able to drag Steven to the “Coded Responses” exhibit because it was about data, and he chose the “Mystery” art slot, to receive:
A block with a drawing of Abraham Lincoln?
Truly, the ways of the Art-o-mat are mysterious and fascinating. You should come to Cary to experience them for yourself!