A coin operated vending machine that dispenses original art by Calgary artists is launching Friday at a Capitol Hill gallery. A range of original art costing anywhere from a toonie to $25 will be available from the Pocket Art Machine (PAM), which is being installed at the Artist Lounge inside the Ruberto Osberg Gallery at 1840 20 Ave. N.W. PAM is the brainchild of multidisciplinary artist Kenzi Housego, who says the idea comes out of the tradition of artists’ books and democratic multiples -- inexpensive books sold at low prices to make art accessible to everyone -- that started in the 1950s and 1960s, like Ed Ruscha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations. “With art books and small multiples, the physical handling is inseparable from how the meaning lands,” Housego said in a media release. “I think it’s an artist’s job to ask questions,” added Housego. “How can artist books and objects democratise art, and make it accessible to a broader public? Pocket Art Machine is my answer to those questions. Everyone should be allowed to own, collect, and engage with art.” PAM is actually the third art vending machine in the city. The other two, which launched in August, are at Congress Coffee in the Zine Library and a second at Contemporary Calgary. There are 10 artists whose work is for sale at the Artist Lounge, including woodcut artist Lisa Brawn, Jaron Wittingham, Teresa Tam, Firuze Avci and others whose work was chosen from 58 different artist submissions. For more information about PAM, go here.
