By Colton Crowe
Tuscaloosa teacher Erica Buchanan-Phillips is raising funds for her school’s art program through an art vending machine, which was recently installed at the Tuscaloosa Public Library.
The machine contains wooden blocks that are painted on by Buchanan-Phillips’ students.
Those interested can insert a dollar’s worth of change into the machine and in return get a surprise hand-painted work of art.
Buchanan-Phillips has also partnered the efforts of the vending machine with The Emma Project, a foundation in memory of Emma Kate Jones who was a student at Englewood Elementary and died from a car crash.
“Emma’s favorite thing to do at school was art and I asked her mother what her favorite shape or if she had any kind of favorite things and her mother told me that she really loved hearts,” said Buchanan-Phillips. “So I had all of my students paint hearts in honor of Emma.”
Buchanan-Phillips hopes to purchase new art tables along with supplies for her classroom with the funds raised from the vending machine.
“I want to be able to do more with my students because I want them to be able to experience all different types of art, not just painting and coloring with crayons,” said Buchanan-Phillips.
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