365 Day 3 (a day late)

On Monday we moved one of my Art-o-mat machines from the gallery where it had been a part of the group show I participated in to it's new location -- LIFT in Royal Oak.

The day went absolutely smoothly and perfectly. The air was crisp and there was no snow or rain. The roads were dry, very light traffic. For January in Michigan that was pretty amazing. Josh and Jon moved the machine and Kent was there at the store to welcome us and guide us in. Juana did the her usual bang up job of "randomizing" the artpacks for me.








I think that LIFT is a perfect fit for an Art-o-mat machine. LIFT features many blind box toys from Kid Robot (and others) and Art-o-mat is like a blind box art machine. You know who the artist is but you don't know exactly what piece you will get.

LIFT also carries a wide selection of urban vinyl, plush, and designer toys, t-shirts and pop surreal and lowbrow art from local artists.

There are a number of local artists who alter toys for shows at LIFT. Here is a sampling of the toys from the latest show -- Natural Resources 3 -- at LIFT. Juana Moore and Jason Driscoll/Kill Taupe are Arto-artists already. I am hoping to get more local artists involved in the Art-o-mat project.

We will have a Grand Opening on January 13 (my birthday) from 7 - 10 at the store. I am SO excited and look forward to another giddy Arto-party with new friends and prizes and lots and lots of FUN!


This is a photo of Kent Alverson (owner of LIFT) and his first Art-o-mat purchase. He got a "Lil' Woodies" Lucky Coin by Laurelle Moon Conte.

Now...a note about me and moving machines around. I get very tense and wound up days before a move. I worry about every little thing that could possibly go wrong. I stress about traffic mishaps, weather conditions, whether or not we will get a spot to park by the door we are going in, whether the machine will maneuver through doorways, through the store...you name it, I worry about it. Then, when it's all over and the machine is in place and filled with art and the lights are on and ready to vend, I start to relax. It is like clenching your fist and then slowly opening it. When I got home I had to make a quick stop at the grocery store, make my version of black bean chili, have a quick cup of it and then sit in my recliner and let stuff melt away. And that is exactly what happened and why I didn't post this entry yesterday. I sat down to watch tv at 8:30 and then it was suddenly 3 a.m. LOL