What is Art*o*mat®?

What is Art*o*mat®? Created by Clark Whittington in 1997, Art*o*mat® machines are retired cigarette machines that have been converted to VEND ART! For only $5 you can collect paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, jewelry, glass, mixed media and more -all the size of a pack of cigarettes. There are over 100 active machines in various locations throughout the country. Victoria Brown (that's me), and El Centro de Santa Fe are proud to host the first machine in New Mexico which debuted in February 2013. There are now 8 machines in northern New Mexico (Santa Fe and Albuquerque area). @ARToMatNM on Facebook/Instagram

Friday, August 12, 2016

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Art*o*mat® installed at Caffe Greco on Canyon Road in Santa Fe!


Meet "MATamale:" Newest Art*o*mat® goes to Caffe Greco on Canyon Road in Santa Fe!

Announcing "MATamale!" My 6th Art*o*mat® machine for New Mexico (and my 4th for Santa Fe) is now installed in the amazing New Mexican restaurant, Caffe Greco, at 233 Canyon Road. It's been months of hush-hush planning (so hard to keep a secret!) and waiting for my newest "baby" to arrive.  I call "him" "MATamale" because of the not-so-subtle homage to New Mexican food.  Look closely: can you see the guacamole, pico de gallo, and nacho cheese colors of the stripes? And how about how delicious they look next to the clear-coated natural rust sides that kinda resemble a smooth mole sauce? Then top it all off with a mirror complete with a parade of chiles etched in the glass. Stomach rumbling yet? Good! Because Caffe Greco is your answer to hungry bellies and tired feet after a hike along gallery-infested Canyon Road. No, there won't be anything to eat inside the Art*o*mat® but you won't be disappointed in the art that can be found in the 9 columns of this 1960 era National Brand cigarette machine. I want to give a special thank you to Rita Linder from Caffe Greco for giving Art*o*mat® a chance and to her son-in-law, Lance, for being hot on getting one placed there. Installation pics to follow. Enjoy!
Caffe Greco 233 Canyon Road. Open 7am-7pm, Fri & Sat till 8pm.

Thank you to Laird & Corky Brown and Louis Correll for helping me move "MATamale"  

We contemplate what to order for our celebratory dinner, dining next to Art*o*mat®


"MATamale" Before: Just look at this beautiful rust bucket. Thank you, ravages of time and damp garages!
Owner/Creator, Clark Whittington, presents me with my new machine in Delurk gallery in Winston-Salem, NC
We effortlessly load it into the minivan for its 1,500 mile trip home to Santa Fe! Thanks, mom, for driving the whole way!
"MATamale," like "CaveMAT" and my first machine -the Original "MAT," came to me by way of mom's minivan and another one of our mother/daughter dynamic duo epic road trips.  We raced along I-40 missing a few treacherous rainstorms (but not missing the amazing BBQ, catfish, and deep fat fried pickles) along the way to Winston-Salem, NC to pick up this Art*o*mat® from Delurk Gallery where Owner/Creator/Boy Artist Himself, Clark Whittington, met us and helped load up my SIXTH machine. After a quick lunch and gab session with Clark we hit the road headed west again and made it home in record time. Thank you so much, mom, for those hours and hours of white-knuckle driving during the scary parts (in and out of those Blue Ridge Mountains) and the tediousness of the flat boring parts. I hope my DJ'ing (thank YOU Coast to Coast AM podcasts and Hamilton soundtrack) and navigating made it more fun for you. I love our road trips!