Every time I’m out, I come across Art-O-Mat machines. I find myself magnetized to them to see what creations lurk behind the glass. As soon as this site came to be, I knew I wanted to touch base with person behind the cigarette machine that vends interesting pieces of art. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet up with Clark Whittington the artist behind Art-O-Mat and Triad resident. Even better yet, he had me over to check out his studio and work space to see the creative and business process behind these unique machines…
Sceneless City:
What is your background in art and graphic design?
Clark Whittington:
I have a B.S. (an appropriate acronym) in graphic design from Appalachian State University.
Sceneless City:
Who or what inspired you to become an artist / designer?
Clark Whittington:
My Mom! She was self taught via a correspondence course in the 1950’s. She literally drew the turtle and pirate to get accepted in the the school….and made a living in art until her retirement.
Sceneless City:
Wow, what mediums did she work with?
Clark Whittington:
Mainly drawing and painting!
Sceneless City:
If you could, who are your favorite artists / designers?
Clark Whittington:
Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Haring, Tim Hawkinson and Doug Grimmett. The latter has been the most influential in regard to what I do. He basically has a design sense and work ethic that has helped me focus on what is truly important. The other 3… I just saw their work in galleries. Working with Doug… I learned some very important skills that helped me implement and maintain the vision of Art-O-Mat.
Sceneless City:
Being a Graphic Designer as well as a DJ, I find music to be important in my day to day activities. What albums keep you in a creative mood?
Clark Whittington:
Being a bit of a laggard and I tend to be behind the times on music. But indy pop rocks (on iTunes) is my favorite station. I like a several bands north of the border. I like the New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Neko Case, Metric,..and in high school…I liked Kick Axe and Rush. Anyways… it seems like some good stuff is happening up there. Aside from that, let’s throw in Silversun Pickups, Weezer, Van Halen, Apples in Stereo, Pixies, The Feelies, Beulah, Buddy Bolly, Flat Duo Jets…I could keep typing. But, I really like a song by K’naan right now. When I just want to work and not hear lyrics… I listen to Groove Salad!
Sceneless City:
If you could choose any job or client or project, what would it be?
Clark Whittington:
I am pretty much ok with what I am doing but, I would choose more social minded ventures than commercial when possible.
Sceneless City:
What is “Art-O-Mat”?
Clark Whittington:
It’s basically a repurposed vending machine tunred into an art installation.
Sceneless City:
What was your inspiration or influence behind “Art-O-Mat”?
Clark Whittington:
The inspiration for Art-o-mat® came when I observed a friend who had a Pavlovian reaction to the crinkle of cellophane. When my friend heard someone opening a snack, he had the uncontrollable urge to have one too. In 1997 I was set to have a solo art show at a local cafe, Penny Universitie (now Mary’s Of Course Cafe). I used a recently-banned cigarette machine to create the first Art-O-Mat machine. The machine sold my black & white photographs for $1.00 each. In June 1997, it was installed, along with 12 of my paintings. The art show was scheduled to be dismantled in July 1997. However, Cynthia Giles (owner of the Penny Universitie) loved the machine and asked me if it could stay permanently and the machine remains unaltered in its original location to this day. At that point, it was clear that involvement of other artists was needed if the project was going to continue. Cynthia introduced me to a handful of other local artists and Artists in Cellophane was formed.
Sceneless City:
What is Artist In Cellophane?
Clark Whittington:
It is the sponsoring organization of Art-O-Mat. It is based on the concept of taking art and “repackaging” it to make it part of our daily lives. The mission of A.I.C. is to encourage art consumption by combining the worlds of art and commerce in an innovative form. A.I.C believes that art should be progressive, yet personal and approachable. What better way to do this, than with a heavy cold steel machine?
Sceneless City:
I know there are machines around the Triad, where else are they?
Clark Whittington:
There are machines in California, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. There are also machines in Quebec, Canada and Vienna, Austria!
Sceneless City:
How many machines total are in operation?
Clark Whittington:
85
Sceneless City:
When a customer contacts you about purchasing a an Art-O-Mat machine, how much creative input comes from the customer on the look of the machine?
Clark Whittington:
We need input from the host but not micromanagement with the design. At the end of day…we want our hosts to be happy with their machine for years to come.
Sceneless City:
How do you choose the artists for “Art-O-Mat”?
Clark Whittington:
They choose us! The world is invited to participate.
(Note: If your interested in becoming an Art-O-Mat artist, click here: http://artomat.org/guidelines.html )
Sceneless City:
Is there any one piece of art from the machine that is your favorite or holds special meaning?
Clark Whittington:
So many pieces over the years… Seriously, there are so many personal stories regarding Art-O-Mat that it would take a long time to put it in writing. Right now a piece from Tom Rohr, a ceramic artist from Oregon who recently passed away. He was very prolific with Art-O-Mat. If you bought a special piece… You could mail it to his studio and receive a larger work. It was kinda like the “golden ticket” thing. I know that some of those pieces have been purchased after his passing..and at least one has been mailed back to this studio after his passing. His wife mentioned that she may be mailing larger ceramics out for some time…as we have no idea of how many special Art-O-Mat works of his are still in machines. Personally, I feel this is a beautiful thing as his positive energy is still is motion. He is probably smiling about this right now.
Sceneless City:
Do you have any other projects in the works?
Clark Whittington:
We are installing machines all of the time. But, aside from Art-O-Mat… I have shows planned in Pittsburgh and locally by spring.
Sceneless City:
What is the biggest misconception people have with Art-O-Mat?
Clark Whittington:
That people have experienced it…or fully understand what the project is about. Local perceptions can be more oddball than areas outside of NC. For example… people in town sometimes talk about Art-O-Mat as if they are in the know but their last purchase may have been in 1998. Our content is constantly changing and we have worked out some major kinks since then. Also, many people tend to view art in a formal way (aka: it should be expensive and in a frame). This mindset has a tendency to assess the project solely on our vend price. Our artists are not making artwork for us based on a “market price” …they are involved because they are genuinely interested in creating art for people to enjoy. Actually, the “stature” of Art-O-Mat is the human relationships that are created via the artist & buyer. Perceived monetary value (current or future) is not even a factor.
Sceneless City:
The whole idea behind my site is to help elevate the local scene. What does this area need in order to accomplish this?
Clark Whittington:
People need to become a bit more curious with what is happening around the community, like…get outside more. Also, restrain from assessing and classifying everything based on bottom line profit. It literally stifles innovation and is a horrible business approach.
I would like to thank Clark for having me over to his studio and participating in this interview. If you want to learn more about Art-O-Mat check out: http://www.artomat.org/
