On April 27, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Museum for Art in Wood (141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106) and acclaimed poet, multi-platform artist founder LindoYes, host The Gumball Machine Celebration, a special event unveiling a poetry-dispensing wooden gumball machine sculpture. The machine’s unveiling will be commemorated with music performances and spoken word readings by local artists, with light refreshments served by Harper’s Garden.

The new Gumball Machine sculpture will be on display and free to view at the Museum for Art in Wood from April 27 to December 31, 2024.  

The one-of-a-kind wooden gumball machine is a fully mechanized, robot-shaped sculpture created by local artist Jesse Rinyu, which dispenses unique walnut shell capsules made by artist Jennifer Eckenrode. Each walnut can be opened to reveal a two-sided slip of paper with an original poem composed by LindoYes and information for free local social services and mental health hotline numbers. The walnuts are returned by placing them into the robot’s mouth, where it’ll fall into an internal storage space. They are then refilled with a fresh poem and added back into rotation. 

The sculpture was created through The Gumball Machine Project, a community-wide program created by LindoYes in 2022 to support free access to the arts, poetry, and mental health care. He places repurposed traditional gumball machines in locations throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey, including Bok Building, The Painted Bride Arts Center, and The Philadelphia Liberation Center. Each machine is hand-painted and decorated by community members living near its location, and holds up to 200 capsules with unique poems. 

Learn more at Home – Museum for Art in Wood.