These vending machines dispense art rather than snacks

For those who want to support local artists, ArtMart might be the smart start.

Kelowna10 visited the Kelowna Art Gallery, where Curatorial and Programming Assistant Michaela Bridgemohan showed off the automated installation.

“The ArtMart vending machines started last year, this year we actually have another machine at BNA Brewery,” Bridgemohan said. “The artists are super enthusiastic and very stoked about being a part of this.”

Inside each vending machine are small pieces of art, ranging from glass pendants to tiny watercolour paintings on mini easels.

All art sold from the machine sees fifty percent of the profits go towards the artist, and the rest towards the gallery for machine maintenance.

As an artist herself, Bridgemohan said for post-graduate art students or self-taught and emerging artists, the machine is a fantastic way to get their work out into the public eye.

For artists like Clea Haugo, it has been an amazing opportunity to showcase her work and get exposure.

“It kind of offers a challenge too, because it is a small format, only small objects can fit in the machine,” Haugo explained. “So, it’s kind of a neat way to reduce your size of your artwork.”

She said the unique experience is a boon for gallery visitors, too, likening the contraption to a mini gift shop where visitors can find something different every time they come to the gallery.

As of now, ArtMart has two locations, at Kelowna Art Gallery, and BNA Brewing Co.