Ten different mini prints by Ana Inciardi are available from the mini print vending machine at the Syracuse University Art Museum, including Syracuse-inspired imagery like a saltshaker, an orange and “Winged Victory at Samothrace.” (Photo by Jiayue Yu)
Art Museum Brings Mini Print Vending Machine to Campus
Forget chips, candy and energy drinks.
Thanks to a new partnership between the Syracuse University Art Museum and Maine-based printmaker Ana Inciardi, there’s a new vending machine on campus that dispenses something unique and entirely different: handmade art for only $1.
Quietly over the holidays, the museum began hosting one of Inciardi’s now-famous mini print vending machines. These small, bright red boxes have redefined expectations of what vending machines can do. Insert four quarters and out pops a surprise work of art.
The ten original prints available inside the machine include Syracuse-inspired images like an orange, a saltshaker and even a custom work featuring the Winged Victory of Samothrace (which stands in the historic Crouse College). Each three-by-five-inch linocut is hand-carved by Inciardi and her studio team, signed by the artist and numbered within its edition.
“My favorite thing about my mini print vending machine is how accessible it allows art to become,” Inciardi says. “Four quarters for a two-color linocut [print] feels pretty special to me.”
What began as a practical solution to collect quarters during the national coin shortage in 2020 has since become a viral sensation. An Instagram reel Inciardi posted showcasing the machine garnered more than 17 million views, according to NPR, and she now maintains more than 100 machines across the country hosted everywhere from local coffee shops to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.
The prints have also spawned an enthusiastic collector community. Fans trade prints with each other and share their collections on a dedicated subreddit.
“The [mini print vending machine] perfectly embodies what we’re working toward at the museum—making art genuinely accessible and removing the barriers that can make people feel like they need permission to engage with it,” says Emily Dittman, director of the museum.
“It’s not just about the beautiful work Ana creates; it’s about becoming part of something larger, connecting with collectors across the country and realizing that art collecting can be joyful, spontaneous and absolutely for everyone,” Dittman says.
The mini print vending machine invites a moment of surprise and delight in the daily campus routine. You don’t know which print you’ll receive until it slides out of its protective sleeve, turning an ordinary transaction into a small adventure.
