Art students take over vending machine to sell art

In a project called “Art Drop,” Western Washington University Art students have taken over the art vending machine, formally called the “B-Machine.” The students wanted to explore how an artist might know what “selling out” is if the artist never made anything that can be sold? Each student is hand-crafting small artwork to be purchased for the machine.

In the most practical terms, “Art Drop” offers student artists a way to sell affordably-priced original art works. Inspired by the successful company Art-O-Mat, which started in 1997, students plan to innovate a successful and fun method of selling their art. Calls for entry into the machine are currently being accepted at wwuartdrop@gmail.com. For more information on Art Drop, check out the group's Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/wwuartdrop/.

An “Art Drop Release Party” from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, in the Fine Arts Building on Western Washington University’s campus, will commemorate the rekindling of the art vending machine. The vending machine accepts coins, and studio staff will be available to make change from bills if needed.

Students and staff involved in the “Art Drop” include: Tasha Smith, Hannah Raper,  Grace Boucher, Marissa Dawes, Gabrielle Poncz, Sadie Sullivan, Breanna Coon, Kimmiree Bolla, Bethany Drake, Aria Lampi, Johanna Ruhsenberger, Jaime Pollock, Ryan Hargis, and Garth Amundson.