OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford
Pictured is an example of the art found inside the Creative Community Vend: a pendant created by a Fredonia High School student.
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OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford
Shown is the Creative Community Vend, now located in Fredonia’s Barker Library, which dispenses small art pieces created by area artists.
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OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford
Pictured is an example of the art found inside the Creative Community Vend: a pendant created by a Fredonia High School student.
Fredonia has a unique vending machine that dispenses art instead of food or drink.
The Creative Community Vend moved to the Darwin R. Barker Library in January, across Barker Common from its previous home at the Next Chapter Bookstore. Plans are to move the machine periodically to different host sites around the community.
The machine started offering art at the bookstore in October. It’s a project overseen by the Fredonia Central School District Art Department.
Patrons can crank up the machine near the library’s front desk — for free — and get little pieces of art created by local artists. The pieces are encapsulated in plastic spheres, the kind that package toys in similar vending machines.
The OBSERVER grabbed a pendant that was created by a Fredonia High School student, according to a little card that was also inside the capsule.
OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford
Shown is the Creative Community Vend, now located in Fredonia’s Barker Library, which dispenses small art pieces created by area artists.
The Fredonia schools are spearheading the project, but other artists are contributing and more artists are sought. Artists from Fredonia’s Mudslingers donated more than 200 pieces for the debut of the machine in October.
People who want to create works for the art machine can contact Creative Community Vend through its Facebook page. Small craft items are sought and a minimum donation of 25 works is requested. Magnets cannot be used as they will get caught in the machine. The items should be handmade by the artists, though they are welcome to use collaborators.
The art machine project received support from the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County Projects Pool Grants Program.