life after Big West...

I'm loving it every day now when the postie comes. I've been receiving a whole heap of fantastic entries but am still looking forward to receiving a whole heap more. art-vend will be on the move after the Big West Festival, and from the 2nd of December until the 27th of February will be in the foyer of the Kingston Arts Centre Gallery http://kingstonarts.com.au. Immediately following this art-vend will be hosted by Off the Kerb www.offthekerb.com.au in Collingwood for an indefinite period. So you see, I'm not just after submissions for Big West, but for the future of art-vend as well.

I've also created a flickr page to document everyone's submissions. There is a link to the right, and also right here http://flickr.com/photos/art-vend and I will endeavour to update it as often as possible. In the meantime, submissions for Big West will be accepted until the end of the first week of November, to give me enough time to ensure all Big West entries are documented. So if you wish to be included for Big West time is running out. Submissions received after this date will still be included in art-vend and on flickr, but will be going to the other locations.

links...

www.jdavidfranzke.com

www.celestebrignac.com

www.madeinmelbourne.com.au

www.annaliesecomelab.com

www.malobisinha.com

www.irmacalabrese.com

www.artds.com.au

www.shooteverything.com.au

www.lorrainepilgrim.com/kirsten-reed/kirsten-reed.htm

www.laurenmurphy.webs.com

what I know...

The positive feedback for art-vend has been fantastic and I'm really looking forward to receiving every one's artworks over the next few weeks. But before I get caught, I'm going to admit that while I came up with art-vend independently, google serves to trump everyone who thinks they have an original idea. Matt LeClair of www.callithump.org has a wonderful site about vending machines which dispense art other than art-vend, and has graciously agreed to add me to his page. So the least I can do is direct you to his. art-vend should be up as an artist run initiative on www.crawl.net.au very soon too, another site worth directing visitors of this site to. The scoop lately is that art-vend will be hitting the road after the Big West Festival, firstly for a stint at the Kingston Arts Centre in Moorabbin, then for a spell at Off the Kerb gallery in Collingwood. The dates for these two residencies will be confirmed over the coming weeks, so while work is being accepted for the Big West Festival right now, I'll be accepting submissions beyond those dates (nov 20-29) and beyond and beyond.

renovated machine

Here is a picture of the newly refurbished vending machine that will be going on to Footscray train station in November. When I bought it, it was a dirty grey hammertone on a rotted out grey chipboard plinth. I've endeavoured to make it a bit easier on the eye as well as a bit more durable and suitable for different environs. It has the capacity to accommodate a lightbox up the top, but I elected to leave it out at this stage because the machine being mechanical doesn't require power. This would change if I filled it with light globes. But it's there, so maybe later.

so far, so good

Interest has been high so far for participation in art-vend at the Big West Festival, which is very good news indeed. I am currently trying to see if this venture has legs, the last thing I want to do is pack it up after just one outing. Any and all suggestions would be welcome. I have finally finished my vending machine renovation and am really looking forward to stocking it full of everyone's art and wheeling the old fella out. Follows is a brief list of websites from artists currently submitting to art-vend. Would love to add yours to the list...

www.jessamygee.com.au

www.graffiterati.com

www.youtube.com/user/nicholasilton

www.noise.net/jamesmclean

www.caseytemby.com

Big West Festival 2009

www.bigwest.com.au

Art-vend is currently inviting submissions for Footscray's Big West Festival, running from November 20 - 29 2009. Any and all work submitted, be they paintings, prints, drawings, stories, poems, tapestries...you get the point, will be put up on this site and offered for sale through Art-vend. It will be the luck of the draw what piece of art the consumer gets, but rest comfortably in the knowledge you've just made an art collector out of someone who perhaps otherwise wasn't. The machine is set to $1.20 which covers packaging, admin and maintenance of the machine (nearly), but we ensure the artists do not go unrecognised; if you send in a bio with your submission we will include it in the packaging and post artists links on this site.

Art-vend encourages multiple submissions from individuals, after all, they'll fit snuggly in a standard envelope. Submissions can be mailed to Art-vend at 9 Colebrook St Brunswick 3056, poetry or prose can be emailed to art_vend@yahoo.com along with any queries you might have.