Media Release: the Lucky Press Art Vending Machine

Give a Toonie, Get a Print!

OTTAWA – With the support of the City of Ottawa’s Ottawa 200 Artist/Creator Grant Program, local letterpress artist Cody McCallum (she/her) is launching a brand new public art installation, Ottawa Imprints – an interactive “art vending machine”. Audiences can donate $2 into the manual retro-style vending machine, turn the crank, and receive an original letterpress mini-print featuring Ottawa architectural landmarks such as Parliament Hill and the National Art Gallery, as well as contemporary local favourites like Arlington Five coffee shop and Dominion City brewery.

Each print will be printed by hand in Cody’s art studio: Lucky Press Print Shop, on an antique 1950’s letterpress printing press.

“Downtown Ottawa is full of history, personality and creative energy,” says Cody McCallum, the artist behind Ottawa Imprints. “The idea behind the art vending machine is to bring local art into community spaces, allowing art collecting to be accessible, and making art ready to discover outside traditional gallery walls.”

Starting Wednesday June 3rd, 2026 the primary home of the “Lucky Press Art Vending Machine” will be at Past Lives Thrift’s brand new location at the corner of Bank St & Nepean St – 194 Nepean St – in downtown Ottawa. Cody hopes to also have the vending machine pop up at local events throughout the city in celebration of Ottawa 200.

Ottawa Imprints makes it easy for anyone to take part. Visitors can stop by during store hours, make a selection, and leave with a small-format work of art, turning a thrift-store visit into a moment of discovery. By placing the machine inside a shop already known for one-of-a-kind finds, the project invites residents and visitors alike to collect art in the same spirit they thrift: with curiosity, surprise, and delight.

For more information about Ottawa Imprints and the Art Vending Machine launch at Past Lives Thrift, visit luckypress.ca or follow @luckypress.ca on Instagram.

About the Ottawa 200 Artist/Creator Fund

The Artist/Creator Grant Program is a one-time funding stream within the existing Arts Funding and Creation and Production Fund for Professional Artists Programs offered by the City of Ottawa in celebration of Ottawa 200: the 200th anniversary of Bytown. The stream was developed in partnership with the City of Ottawa’s Cultural Funding Support Unit, Arts Ottawa and the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG). This initiative encourages artistic expression that explores the people, stories, lands and legacies that define Ottawa. Projects were selected through peer-assessment processes focused on relevance to Ottawa’s bicentennial, community impact, accessibility, and feasibility. All funded initiatives will take place during 2026 and are intended to provide free and inclusive public experiences, wherever possible.

About Ottawa Imprints

Ottawa Imprints is an Ottawa-based art project centered on an Art Vending Machine that brings small-format local art into an everyday retail setting in downtown Ottawa. Launching in summer 2026 at Past Lives Thrift, the project is funded through the Ottawa 200 Artist/Creator Grant Program and reflects the bicentennial year’s emphasis on accessible, community-rooted cultural experiences.

About Cody & Lucky Press

Cody McCallum is an Ottawa-based printmaker and calligrapher specializing in letterpress art and calligraphy education. Her practice explores the intersection of antique printmaking tradition and experimental approaches to form, typography, and composition. Working primarily with hand-mixed inks and traditional platen presses, she is particularly interested in the cultural relevance of analogue art making in a digital era.

MEDIA CONTACT

Cody McCallum

hello@codycalligraphy.com

luckypress.ca