Repurposed Retro Tech

Art-o-mat: Reclaimed Vending Machines Dispensing Miniature Masterpieces

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

By the Wicked Cool Places editors · Published Thu, Aug 27, 2026 · Updated Fri, Aug 28, 2026

Why it’s cool

These retired cigarette dispensers have been saved from the scrap heap and transformed into miniature galleries. For the price of a coffee, you can pull a lever and own an original piece of handmade art.

Southwest Boutique

A yellow vintage cigarette machine repurposed as an Art-o-mat, with two rows of small art pieces behind glass.

Tucked away within the neon-lit halls of the Cosmopolitan, a collection of vintage mechanical dispensers offers a unique gamble where everyone wins. These machines were once ubiquitous fixtures of American nightlife, designed to dispense packs of cigarettes with a satisfying mechanical clunk.

Other vintage relics are preserved nearby at The Neon Museum. Today, they have been stripped of tobacco and reborn as Art-o-mats, providing a whimsical way to collect original work from artists around the globe.

Why It Stands Out

The project began in 1997 when artist Clark Whittington converted a vending machine for a temporary exhibit in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. What started as a local experiment has grown into a massive collaborative effort involving more than 400 artists.

There are now over 100 of these restored tobacco dispensers stationed across the country and abroad. Each machine is a piece of history itself, often restored with mid-century aesthetics that stand in sharp contrast to the digital screens of modern Las Vegas.

When you feed a five-dollar bill into the slot and pull the heavy knob, you do not know exactly what will drop into the tray. The inventory is constantly rotating and includes everything from tiny oil paintings and sculptures to handmade jewelry and intricate drawings.

It democratizes art collecting, turning a high-brow gallery experience into a tactile, pocket-sized souvenir. Visitors interested in unique installations might also enjoy The Big Edge.

While these machines are scattered in various cities, the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino hosts one of the highest concentrations in a single building.

Before You Go

You can find six different Art-o-mats hidden throughout the lobby and various floors of the Cosmopolitan. Part of the experience is simply hunting them down in the vast hotel complex.

Each machine features different artists, so it is worth checking several before making your selection. Be sure to bring exact change, as these vintage mechanisms only accept five-dollar bills.

Keep in mind that these are popular attractions and occasionally run out of stock before they can be refilled.

Questions worth answering

How do I get my hands on one of these pieces?

Insert a five-dollar bill and yank the heavy knob. A small box containing a sculpture, jewelry, or a painting will drop into the tray.

Where should I look for them in the hotel?

We found six machines tucked away in the lobby and on different floors. Part of the fun is tracking them down across the property.

Is the inventory always the same?

The selection rotates constantly and features work from hundreds of global artists. Some machines occasionally run out of stock, which happened to three units in early 2024.

What is the history behind this project?

Clark Whittington started this in North Carolina back in 1997. We used the Art-o-mat site as our own editorial from there to find these restored cigarette dispensers.

Visit Snapshot

You will need five-dollar bills to operate the machines. There are six units located inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino.

Availability can vary, and some machines may be empty during high-traffic periods. Visit the official Art-o-mat website to find other machine locations across the United States.

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada

Know before you go

Visit the Art-o-mat website for all vending machine locations, and help support local artists. Machines take exact change: $5 bills only.

In January 2024, three of the machines at the Cosmopolitan were empty.

Editorial source

Art-o-mat

You won’t find any smokes in this retro cigarette vending machine. Feed it some cash, and instead of a cigarette you’ll be rewarded with little pieces of art.

What was started in Winston-Salem , North Carolina , in 1997 by artist Clark Whittington as a temporary art exhibit has now grown into an expansive project. Today more than 100 refurbished cigarette vending machines stocked with work from more than 400 artists are spread across the United States and beyond.

Whittington transformed the machines, which were banned by many towns in the late 20th century, into what are essentially little art stores. All you have to do is donate $5 and crank the handle to receive your own original, handmade souvenir.

Anything from paintings, jewelry, little sculptures, or drawings will fall into your hands. The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada , houses the one of the largest single collections of machines throughout its lobby and hallways.

There are six such classic Art-o-mats within the Cosmo. Finding them is half the fun … choosing which artist to purchase a treasure from is the other.

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