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They once graced the dark corners of America. From the crassly functional to quaint stylized relics of the mid-twentieth century, cigarette vending machines offered instant satisfaction to smokers until their numbers dwindled due to steady changes in public attitudes regarding smoking and concerns about their role in introducing children to the soothing, carcinogenic, aroma of tobacco.
Following a ban on the machines in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, artist Clark Whittington decided to modify one of the scrapped vendors and incorporate it into an exhibition at a local cafe. Displayed along with a dozen of his paintings, the Art-o-mat sold small copies of Whittington’s photos. The one-off idea proved successful, and inspired Whittington and cafe owner Cynthia Giles to create Artists in Cellophane. The group uses the Art-o-mat concept to make art part of lived experience and to explore the connections between art and commerce. The project recognizes and celebrates the tensions in this ideals–especially the use of cold yet kitschy machines to create a sense of immediate personal connection between artists and their audience, and the odd relationship between art appreciation and instant gratification.
. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.
