? Love Philly? So do we. Let’s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today.
Philly-based artist Fabiola Lara started making art vending machines in 2025. Lara discovered the concept from social media, and began to put her own Philly twist on it.
“All of the machines have a different combination of mini prints in them,” she said. “Inside of Art Star at the Independence Hall Visitor Center, of course I have a Liberty Bell print there, and over at Reading Terminal Market, I have two prints for Reading Terminal there, so the Reading Terminal sign and then the corner sign.”
Last time Billy Penn spoke to Lara, she only had five vending machines in the area. Now, she has 15.
“It’s just been little by little, working with local businesses and even visitor centers to get a mini print vending machine there, so that these little riso prints can be all over the city and create a sort of scavenger hunt,” she said.
Lara’s newest creation is an art vending machine passport – allowing Philadelphians and visitors to keep track of which riso prints they’ve collected, and where they want to go next for more.
“It’s basically a little booklet that has a QR code for the vending machine map inside of it,” she said. “That expands a little bit about me and the project, and then there are 19 pages where people can place their little mini print inside, and log the name of the mini print, the location where they found it, and the date they collected it, as well as stamp it because all of my mini print vending machines have unique stamps that I designed for each location.”
Lara has worked hard to create unique experiences in each of her vending machines.
Each one contains Riso-printed tiny prints made with a Risograph, or a stencil duplicator machine that is similar to screen printing.
As for the machines themselves, she said she purchases and renovates all of them herself.
“A lot of my machines are vintage machines that I restore myself,” Lara said. “My favorite example is the one at Reading Terminal Market. It’s a machine from the ‘70s that is not made anymore that I took from rusty and crusty to shiny and new, and it’s one of my favorite machines because it has the big arch at the top.”
Lara said she has continued to place more machines throughout the city – mainly throughout Center City, Fairmount and South Philly.
“I think my main goal with it is to have mini print vending machines in places that are creative and cool, or landmarks that I know people want to go see, and it just like creates something fun and unique in those locations,” she said.
Lara said she hopes to expand even further, but that placing each machine is a long process.
“Even though I have machines that I’m always working on, it’s still a process of like making sure that they’re ready to go, getting all the signage ready, getting them location ready, and making sure I have the mini prints to go inside of them,” she said.
Lara said her work is all inspired by the positive feedback and stories she hears about her machines.
“I’m honored that people get excited to do this,” she said. “And I know people from out of town who even come in with the explicit purpose of filling up their passport and kind of seeing Philadelphia through the eyes of not only my art but like the different locations that I have them in.”
Lara explained this activity is also great for all ages.
“I think something that people have told me before is that it’s multi-generational,” she said. “So, you know, grandma can come, mom can come, and the kid can come and they all have fun doing it.”
Lara said she has heard from shopkeepers and participants that it can also be a social activity – particularly for those using the passport.
“It is a very social activity, especially because then once you’re out and about, you can like explore the neighborhoods further,” she said.
Lara explained that a large part of her business is also helping support the local community.
“I make these here, but they’re also printed locally here, and so I try to make this as local of a project as I can, and I try to kind of showcase different parts of Philly that I can through my mini prints in like a different way,” she said.
Lara hopes to continue to expand her reach – including getting some vending machines in Fishtown and North Philly, and working on different collections like Eagles-themed prints.
You can get your passport and learn more about Lara’s machines here.
The post You can find art vending machines all over Philly – and track it with a passport appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.
