LAURA MEETS THE ART*O*MAT MASTER

NAME: Clark

LOCATION: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

EGGPLANT QUOTE: gimmicky bastard

COMMENTS: Clark Whittington, inventor of the Art*o*mat vending machines, through which the Stray Eggplants are distributed, officially installed the Art*o*mat machine at the amazing Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis on October 17, 2007. Laura Gentry decided to surprise him by driving 4 hours north from her home in Iowa to attend his lecture. Since they've worked together through Art*o*mat for these 4 years, it was only fitting that they meet during his Midwestern trip. Here, Laura presented Clark with this humorous eggplant.


Right: Clark, Laura and hotel curator, Jennifer Phelps with the Chambers' beautiful Art*o*mat machine. Click photo to see enlargement.










Above: Clark and Laura stand before a very realistic piece of art at the Chambers Hotel.

BANISHING BEIGE

NAME: KC

LOCATION: Minneapolis, Minnesota

EGGPLANT QUOTE: beige is just not your color

EGGPLANT ENFORCES BATHROOM POLICY

NAME: Elizabeth

LOCATION: Columbia, South Carolina

EGGPLANT QUOTE: put the toilet seat down

COMMENTS: "This is a hard-working eggplant!"

EGGPLANT OBSESSION

NAME: Lizzie Bee

LOCATION: Columbia, South Carolina

EGGPLANT QUOTE: I'm trying to unobsess myself

COMMENTS: I received my eggplant as a gift from one of my oldest friends, who left it in a bright yellow envelope under the driver's side windshield wiper of my car as it was parked in front of Urban Artware in Winston-Salem, N.C. My friend has modeled many things for me over the years, most importantly, how to laugh: and coincidentally, perhaps, I always hear this quote in Pee Wee Herman's "shh...I'm trying to use the phone" voice.

After practicing my obsessions around the house I have been able, with great success, to transfer them to my work and to my relationships. Progress, right?!

Looking around now (in the middle of a dark no-moon night) at all of my odd little possessions, I can hear the clinking echoes of all of these small things. I think, YES-- It's Not Working-- I'm Still Obsessed-- With junk, with worry, with insecurity, with insomnia...! Finally, I think: But I Love This Nutty Obsessor. She's the one who reveals my dearest passions.

(note, Lizzie Bee's eggplant is from the very first edition of plants when the quotes were glued to the front of them)


And look, Lizzie also sent this picture of eggplants on the Piggly Wiggly marquee. Go eggplants!

MANY MORE SMILES

NAME: Melanie

LOCATION: Lansing, Iowa

EGGPLANT QUOTE: I'm going to smile

COMMENTS: Thank you for my eggplant!! :) It brings me happiness and many MORE smiles! :)

FREE TO BE

NAME: Jasmin

LOCATION: New York, NY

EGGPLANT QUOTE: I gotta be me

COMMENTS:
My girlfriend and I were visiting San Francisco from our homes in New York City. We were quite excited because we were told that, like us, everyone in San Francisco is gay and vegan. Whether or not that is true, I'm going to go with: Yes, it's true. Regardless, we had a blast!

Now I shouldn't admit this to you but I will: I don't like museums and only sometimes am I moved by art. Same with Mariann, the beautiful woman on the left of the attached photograph. Part of me wants to brag about the exhibit I saw at blah-blah-blah, but aside from very few exceptions, that is not me. But I am fun and quirky and like oddities. And I'm into theatre and other forms of art and photography. So when Mariann and I were walking from SOMA to South Park (where they have a lovely swing set beside a yummy French cafe' that serves bowls of soy lattes), we passed a cigarette machine that dispensed art instead of tobacco. Obviously, that was something I needed to explore.

Pride plants?? It's true! Everyone in San Francisco IS gay and vegan! In the cigarette dispenser was a little box that had gay-themed eggplants. It was like my dream! This stray eggplant said "I Gotta Be Me," and how appropriate for me and my Mariann, who defy the societal norm about a thousand-fold. I *GOTTA* be me. We gotta be us.

And so thanks for the prideful eggplant. We love it. It's on our mantelpiece above our fireplace. (Okay, that's not true. We don't have a fireplace or a mantelpiece. But if we DID, you can bet the little purple piece of art would gladly have a home on it. In the mean time, it's beside me on my bookshelf, out of reach of my feisty cat -- who also has gotta be her.)

Enjoy this picture. Continue to make art.

WEBSITE: www.jasminsinger.com

FOR MEEEEEEEEE!

NAME: Mary K

LOCATION: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

EGGPLANT QUOTE:
Better Things

COMMENTS: "Got this one from the original Art-o-mat at Mary's of course with Clark at my side. It reminds me of the song I made up and sing to my boyfriend. It goes, 'Every thing that is good is for meeeeeee!'"

WEBSITE: www.missmaryk.com