Clark Whittington

Clark Whittington is an artist and the creator of the Art-o-mat.[1][2] Art-o-mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to vend art.[3][4][5][6]

The inspiration for Art-o-mat came to artist Clark Whittington while observing a friend who had a Pavlovian reaction to the crinkle of cellophane.[1][7] When Whittington's friend heard someone opening a snack, he had the uncontrollable urge to have one too.

After moving to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Whittington was set to have a solo art show at a local cafe, Penny Universitie (now Mary's Of Course Cafe).[1] This is when Whittington used a recently banned cigarette machine to create the first Artomat.[1] The show opened in June 1997 and the original machine was installed along with 12 of his assemblage paintings.[1] The machine sold Whittington's black & white photographs for $1.00 each.[1]

This art show was scheduled to be dismantled in July 1997; however, Cynthia Giles (owner of the Penny Universitie) loved the machine and asked that it stay permanently.[1] Clark felt that the machine would create a conflict in the space unless it was open to artists in the community. Giles then introduced Whittington to a handful of other local artists and Artists in Cellophane was formed. Today, there are 90 machines around the world and over 400 artists involved.[1][6][8] Six of the machines are featured at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.[9]


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Freund, Charles Paul (June 2003). "The pull of culture - Artifact - Clark Whittington's Artomat - Brief Article". Reason. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Art-O-Mat Aims For Collectors". CBS News. February 25, 2003. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  3. ↑ "INSERT MONEY, RETRIEVE ART, ART-O-MAT MACHINES OFFER MINIATURE PAINTINGS, SCULPTURE". Charlotte Observer. March 5, 2003. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  4. ↑ Clark, Kathy (March 2, 2006). "DISPENSABLE ART". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  5. ↑ Flannigan, Kathy (October 23, 2003). "Artists offer eye candy at low cost". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  6. 1 2 Miller, Nicole M. (June 14, 2001). "Warning: Contents May Be Habit Forming". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  7. ↑ Roberts, Frank (July 20, 2008). "This vending machine artwork is really smokin'". Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  8. ↑ Elder, Robert K. (2003-03-05). "It's Art! ; It's Cheap! It's . . .; At five bucks a pop, anyone can be a patron of the arts". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  9. ↑ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/16/cosmos-art-o-mat-machines-offer-5-works-art/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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