Art-o-mat Turns 10
January 2007 : "Selling snack-size art ... One local machine grows to 90 worldwide." [VIEW]



BuzzWorthy: $5 Machine Art
September 10, 2006 : "In the age of public smoking bans, the humble cigarette vending machine seems to have all but outlived its usefulness. Pity not. Under an organization called Art-o-Mat, neglected machines are rescued—and rejiggered to dispense contemporary art. (The surgeon general would be proud)." -- Julia Feldmeier  [VIEW]

Art-O-Mat Aims For Collectors
Feb. 21, 2003
: "Pull a knob on the vintage cigarette machine and you may pick up a new habit -- buying art. The concept has hooked accidental art investors with refurbished vending machines in art galleries, coffee shops and grocery stores nationwide. " -- Jennifer Kay [VIEW]

It's Art! At five bucks a pop, anyone can be a patron of the arts
March 5, 2003 : "The Chicago Cultural Center sells more artwork than New York's Whitney Museum of American Art. Art*o*mat art, to be exact. The other paintings stay on the wall, but each museum hosts a vending machine selling pocket-size art. For $5, patrons can plug a golden token into a refurbished cigarette machine, pull a lever and receive a small painting, sculpture, poem or any number of concept-driven art pieces." -- Robert K. Elder

Gallery Glance
August 16, 2002: "My favorite surprise at the Cultural Center this summer--the Art-o-Mat--stands outside the gift shop and caused me to do a double take as I was sure I'd just seen that once common but now extinct creature known as the cigarette machine. Twenty or so tantalizing little objects peek through the windows where once were Lucky Strikes and Marlboro Lights. To get one, you have to buy a token for $5 in the gift shop. You then deposit it in the machine, pull your chosen lever and out comes your art with a satisfying clunk. " -- Margarget Hawkins

Pull Lever, Get Culture
September 22, 2003: "Wonder how long that Ham-and-Swiss has been sitting around in the office vending machine? For something a little fresher, slip $5 into an Art*o*mat, and you'll get an original piece of art." [VIEW]

Less smoke means fine trinkets
March 3, 2003 : "For $5, you get a handsomely crafted abstract painting from Alex Norwood's 'Landscapes From Other Planets' series. Or a matchbox-size bronze sculpture of a logging truck made by a group of 18 artists working in the village of Krofofrom, near the town of Kumasi in Ghana, West Africa. Or a ring made of green beads by Japanese artist Naoko Higashi." -- David Pagel

October 3, 2002: "..An ingenious repurposing that makes art more accessible."

Pick a Pack of Paintings
May 2003 : "Finally, a vending machine that promotes a healthy habit." [VIEW]