Former cigarette vending machine dispenses art at Mizzou museum 
By Rosemary Frank

Looking for unique artwork to spruce up your space?  Explore the Museum of Art and Archaeology and purchase your own mini masterpiece. The museum is home to Missouri’s only Art-o-mat®, a former cigarette vending machine that’s been converted into an art dispenser. 

“We are really leaning into making a visit to the museum fun, with moments of discovery throughout, in the galleries, our Museum Store, and with additions like the Art-o-mat®,” said Marie Nau Hunter, Deputy Director of the Museum of Art and Archaeology, who coordinated efforts to bring the machine to Mizzou.  

For $5, visitors can purchase a special token to insert in the Art-o-mat®. Spanning a range of mediums, each selection is one-of-a-kind and supports the artists whose works are featured in the machine. 

Like the museum’s other objects, the Art-o-mat® offers a glimpse into the past — a time when cigarettes could be easily purchased from vending machines. Once a common fixture of public spaces, these cigarette dispensers were mostly retired after a 2010 ban. Now, more than 200 repurposed vending machines across the United States showcase artists from around the world. 

You’re invited to discover a variety of objects from six continents — permanent and changing, prehistoric to the present — at the Museum of Art and Archaeology and Museum of Anthropology. The museums are open to the public, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Admission is always free. 

The effort to place the museum's Art-o-Mat was funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.