Art-o-Mat Repurposes Cigarette Machines to Make Art Accessible and Provide Outlets for Artists

June 29, 2015; Inforum (Fargo-Moorhead, ND)

A new public art piece called the Art-o-Mat has been erected in Fargo, North Dakota. This piece takes former cigarette pack dispenser machines and repurposes their function to deliver art directly to the community. This project represents both themes of reuse and arts accessibility, or “art is for all.”

The piece is located directly in the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo, a prime location to disseminate popular art from local artists to the masses. But, this isn’t the first Art-o-Mat in the United States. Art-o-Mat displays are located throughout the United States and in Canada, Australia, and even Austria and the United Kingdom. In 1997, artist Clark Whittington created the first Art-o-Mat with the intention to distribute his art pieces to his community. What was meant to be a temporary installation at a coffee shop quickly became a permanent piece at the café and grew and expanded on a national level. Artists in Cellophane, which makes the Art-o-Mat project possible, expanded Whittington’s concept in order to integrate public art, artist promotion, and art accessibility.

In North Dakota, the installation is made possible through collaboration with The Arts Partnership. The project was brought to the Fargo area through a specific process that involved funding partners, collaborative partners, and participation of artists. This public art piece offers a tremendous opportunity that benefits the community and the local artists. Not only do local artists have their artwork promoted and disseminated, but they also receive a 50% portion of the proceeds when the public purchases (for $5) a piece of art from the machines.

This isn’t the first innovative way to disseminate art to a community. Many other methods have been employed to make art accessible and obtainable to a community and its residents. For example, in Detroit, digital media has driven accessibility of the arts to new levels. The Detroit Orchestra made symphonic music more accessible when it asked its audience to help them create a uniquely Detroit music compilation piece through a free app.

Major digital and online industries have also realized the interest of public consumption of art and culture and tailored their sites to accommodate this growing need. Now, from your own home, in a click you can view art masterpieces from the Google Cultural Institute and Google Open Gallery. No longer are art and culture confined to physical space in this new era.

As the dynamics of our communities, residents, and artwork evolve over time, so will how we consume our pop culture, art, and heritage. From digital accessibility to public art pieces for the masses, we are sure to see many new outlets like this on the rise.—Jennifer Swan

About the author

Jennifer Swan

Jennifer Swan is currently the Associate Director for Arts Services Initiative of WNY (ASI). In this role Ms. Swan assists in positioning ASI as the link between the arts and cultural community and other sectors of the region. She provides outreach and administrative support to ASI’s partner networks including the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA), Cultural Alliance of Niagara (CAN), and serves on the Arts Partners for Learning (APL) Leadership Team. Ms. Swan is the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization (DEC) Grant Program Coordinator for Erie and Niagara Counties. Previously Ms. Swan was the Business Manager for the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus where she was responsible for the day–to-day operations, working alongside the Board of Directors and committees. Major projects included the involvement of the Chorus in the Music Culture 716 collaborative and extending the Chorus’ regular season to include special performances at community events such as the National Historic Preservation Conference held in Buffalo in October 2011. Ms. Swan currently serves on the Chorus’ Concert, Marketing, and Nominating Committees. From 2009-2011 she managed and maintained the box office and front of house at the Lancaster Opera House, and orchestrated and organized an annual fundraiser for two years. Here she solicited donations and managed all aspects of the event from preparation to day-of activities. Her other arts and cultural work includes judging Congressman Higgins’ Congressional Student Art Competition in 2012, 2013, and 2014; past work includes Music is Art’s The Big Easy in Buffalo Committee, Volunteer Coordinator for Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center’s Artists and Models: Nocturminal fundraiser, Marketing/Concert Crew for Slee Hall at Lippes Concert Hall at the University at Buffalo, and Music Librarian and Marketing for the Amherst Chamber Ensembles. Additional work in the for-profit sector includes Promotions for Citadel Broadcasting and Righteous Babe Records, and management and marketing for several individual music projects. Ms. Swan has presented at a variety of community-wide engagements including to Leadership Buffalo’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Day (June 2014), Daemen College’s Art and Community Class (April 2014), University at Buffalo’s Management Career Development Class (November 2013), and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Evening with the Professionals at Buffalo State College (October 2012). Ms. Swan has a MA in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo and a BA in Communications/Broadcasting with a minor in music from Buffalo State College. While at the University at Buffalo she traveled abroad with NUROPE (Nomadic University for Art, Philosophy, and Enterprise in Europe) to Sweden and Finland, completing an intensive scholarly program entitled Beyond Bergman and Nobel: Scandinavian Cultural Policy and Performing Arts. As a result of that academic excursion, Ms. Swan co-wrote an article forUB International titled “Summer School in Arts Management Held in Finland and Sweden.”

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