Good Things Come in Small Packages
12/17/2009Ever wonder what happened to all of those old pull-knob cigarette machines? Some of them are being refurbished to provide reasonably-priced art to the masses.
For just $5, someone can purchase a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of art, ranging from jewelry and bookmarks to small metalwork and paintings. Over 400 artists provide their work to these Art-O-Mat machines, each piece hand-crafted and unique. The sky is the limit with the type of art offered, with one small limitation: each item must fit within the confines of a cigarette box sized carton. It seems like quite a feat to pull off, but the project’s website lists many of the participating artists, complete with a photo of a sample of their work. It is really quite remarkable the creativity that can fit in a 2 1/8” x 3 ¼” x 7/8” package.
I love seeing old things get a new purpose, and this is no exception. Something fun and funky that has appeal, if for nothing else than novelty. Sometimes in a world of everything serious, that’s a nice change of pace. Hopefully the trend will catch and we’ll see some more ways to teach an old dog new tricks, so to speak.
So, if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer or an inexpensive gift for that eccentric aunt (they always get a bum rap), this may be the ticket. Heck, for $5, I would check it out. When will they send one to Cleveland? Check it out at http://www.artomat.org.
christine.papesch@veii.com
