An Albany Museum of Art Teen Art Board member’s Eagle Scout project is bringing a unique art experience to Albany through Southwest Georgia’s first Art-o-mat machine, which dispenses miniature artworks created by more than 400 artists from 10 countries.

Reece Ellion, a Laurel Springs School junior and a member of Scout Troop 13, sponsored by St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, is using the Art-o-mat for inspiration for her Eagle Scout leadership project on Friday, May 13, from 4-6 pm at the Albany Museum of Art, 311 Meadowlark Drive. During the free two-hour event, Scouts trained in different media by Reece will teach elementary, middle school, and high school students who attend the free event. 

 “I taught my Scouts different art mediums, such as painting and using paint markers, and oil pastels,” Reece said. “There will be different art stations and my Scouts will be at the stations depending on what technique they learned. They will teach the kids who come in these arts.”

The participants will create artworks “on little blocks that would fit in the Art-o-mat, so it’s inspiring to the kids. ‘Hey, you could possibly become an Art-o-mat artist in the future.’ Or, just inspire them in general.”

The idea to bring an Art-o-mat to Albany came to her when she saw one of the machines while on a family vacation trip to Key West, Fla. Reece, who wants to study animation in college, purchased a piece of pottery that fit into a box the size of a pack of playing cards. 

“We went to a little museum and there was an Art-o-mat and I thought, ‘This is really cool.’ At that time, I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my Eagle project, so I asked my mom (Heidi Ellion) and she said, ‘Sure, we can do this,’” Reece said. “I thought this would be a wonderful addition to the AMA. So, we got in touch with the owner of Art-o-mat, and the rest is history.”