
The RayKo Gallery serves to advance public appreciation of photography and create opportunities for regional and national artists to present their work. We are currently accepting proposals for summer 2011 Main Gallery shows. Download our submission guidelines prior to contacting us regarding proposals for future shows. Offering 1600 square feet of exhibition space, RayKo Gallery is dedicated to photography-based art. The Rayko Gallery presents eight to ten Main Gallery exhibitions each year, and we show both group and solo artists. Artists of all levels are encouraged to submit their work for consideration.
Current Exhibitions | Upcoming Exhibitions | Marketplace | Calls for Entries | Artist-in-Residence
2010 Archive | 2009 Archive | 2008 Archive | 2007 Archive
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ART*O*MAT VENDING MACHINE | $5.00/token
A retro cigarette machine that has been exquisitely refurbished, painted, and converted to vend original artwork for only $5.00! RayKo is host to San Francisco’s first Art*O*Mat. Stop by to plunk, pull, and partake in the easiest most accessible way to start an art collection, or add to what you already have on your gallery walls.
The inspiration for Art-o-mat® came to artist Clark Whittington while observing a friend who had a Pavlovian reaction to the crinkle of cellophane. When Whittington’s friend heard someone opening a snack, he had the uncontrollable urge to have one too.
The year was 1997, the town was Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Whittington was set to have a solo art show at a local cafe, Penny Universitie (now Mary’s Of Course Cafe). This is when Whittington used a recently-banned cigarette machine to create the first Art-o=mat. In June 1997, it was installed, along with 12 of his paintings. The machine sold Whittington’s black & white photographs for $1.00 each.
This art show was scheduled to be dismantled in July 1997. However, Cynthia Giles (owner of the Penny Universitie) loved the machine and asked that it stay permanently and machine remains unaltered in its original location to this day. At that point, it was clear that involvement of other artists was needed if the project was going to continue. Giles introduced Whittington to a handful of other local artists and Artists in Cellophane was formed.
Artists in Cellophane (A.I.C.), the sponsoring organization of Art*o*mat® is based on the concept of taking art and “repackaging” it to make it part of our daily lives. The mission of A.I.C. is to encourage art consumption by combining the worlds of art and commerce in an innovative form. A.I.C believes that art should be progressive, yet personal and approachable. What better way to do this, than with a heavy cold steel machine?
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1947 VINTAGE AUTO PHOTOBOOTH | $3.00/token
RayKo is home to a photobooth that gives customers a strip of 4 unique images on traditional RC paper. The processing time for the images is approximately 2-minutes after the last image is taken.
