Have you seen the Art-O-Mat vending machines in Las Vegas? While visiting in January with my daughter and my best friends we stumbled upon something unique and fun that doesn’t involve drinking or gambling. We read online about old cigarette machines that have been refurbished and they now dispense original art. We decided to go on a scavenger hunt to find these machines.
Art-0-mat
Artist Clark Whittington came up with the idea of the Art-0-mat in 1997 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He used the vending machine to dispense his art for $1. There are now vending machines scattered across the United States. Each machine dispenses original works of art.
An Art Scavenger Hunt
There are Art-O-Mat machines at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. We were staying at Treasure Island so we took a walk down the strip to the Cosmopolitan and even though it was 40 degrees outside we stopped at Fat Tuesday for frozen drinks. I had a drink that tastes like a creamsicle and they serve the drinks in a cute acrylic to-go cup. And Vegas being Vegas, I took my drink with me on the walk.
Finding the Art-O-Mat Machines
The Cosmopolitan Hotel has strategically placed six refurbished cigarette machines in its lobby and hallways. Finding the machines is half the fun. After walking around we saw the first one, but first, we made change, because the machines only accept $5 bills. With money in hand, we had the hard choice of what artist to pick. I inserted my $5 and pulled a lever. The art comes out in a small 2″ x 3′ box and my first piece of art that came out of the vending machine was an abstract mounted on a block. Nicole put in her $5 and got a pair of cork earrings. Feeling successful we wandered on a looked for the next machine.
Art At The Cosmopolitan
There are tons of different types of art in the public areas of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The walls have large-scale murals, photographs, and sculptures. The Cosmopolitan wants their art to be interactive and accessible, so some of their art is in the middle of the hallway and looks like it is meant to be touched. We enjoyed walking around looking at all the art while we were looking for more Art-o-mat vending machines.
Hunting For More Art
We continued on our hunt for more Art-o-mat vending machines, but we have better luck with some machines than others. A few times we put in a $5 bill and we get nothing in return. We didn’t let it deter us. Nicole was in charge of locating all six of the Art-o-mat machines and I’m happy to say that we found them all. We love the pieces of art that we collected. The Art-O-Mat is helping to make art accessible for everyone. For $5 you can be an art collector too. As a result of our fun scavenger hunt, our interests have been piqued and we are planning more trips to find Art-o-mat vending machines in other states.
