The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune
Project Documentation
Project Statement
In the middle of everything, there's a secret for you waiting to be discovered...
The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune is a public art storytelling object that creates an unexpected, mysterious encounter in the everyday world. Those who interact with the machine turn the dial to receive a tiny one-line fortune story, each an original writing by me and chosen for the recipient by the hands of fate and the whims of The Great Gumball.
Participants who want to know the gumballs’ secrets can turn the dial to receive a capsule with a numbered paper fortune inside. Will they keep the wisdom of the gumballs for themselves or will they share it with those around them and all of the venue?
The decision is theirs alone, for some secrets of the gumball are more personally reflective than others, but all are one-line stories about collective human experiences connect us more deeply to ourselves, to each other, and to the world we live in.
Public Art Grant Recipient, ArtFields SC
Currently on display at ArtFields: 132 N Acline, Lake City, South Carolina
Traveling storytelling exhibit
The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune can be installed at a variety of sites due to its small footprint and analog interaction. It may even be installed as outdoor public art under protective covering for extended periods of time.
Site-specific fortunes
The mini paper fortunes dispensed by the machine are original writings for each site, curated and created for the specific venue, attendees, and location where the machine will be installed. The back of each fortune slip can be concepted for site-specific storytelling as well, including a hashtage or social account to share the experience or other information about the machine at the specific site.
Analog interaction
The installation requires no electricity for interaction. Participants turn the dial on a vintage-style customized and reimagined gumball machine and the mechanism delivers a small capsule with a paper fortune inside. Participants take their capsules with them as a memento of their experience and a reminder of their personal good fortune.
Indoor/outdoor placement
The machine may be placed indoors inside a vestibule, alcove, up against a wall, or free-standing in the center of a space. It may also be placed outdoors under proper protective covering and with a chain bolting it discretely to a permanent structure or the ground. The machine was originally fabricated and designed for outdoor public art display and is made of materials that will withstand the elements under light covering. The machine does not require an attendant and can stand on its own for long periods of time.
Discovering The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune should feel a little like stumbling onto a secret in the middle of everything - cosmic, mystical, a little mysterious encounter as participants go about their day or evening.
Portable exhibition
The machine can be moved from site to site during its stay with a few simple instructions for its care during transport. The artist is available to move the machine and re-install as needed if the site stay is part of an artist-in-residence program or is local to the artist’s home base.
Small footprint
The customized gumball machine is approximately 3 feet in height and takes up only about two feet of horizontal space, including its “monster” stand. Including room for foot traffic, it requires only 6-8 feet of space for installation. The machine can be placed in an alcove or vestibule, against a wall, or on the side of the street without obstructing traffic flow.
Free spin mechanism
The machine has been fabricated to dispense fortunes without coins needing to be inserted into the coin slot. Turning the dial itself delivers the satisfying tacticle “thunk” sensation of something about to be received. The machine’s face instructs participants to enjoy one free spin but if someone needs more than one fortune, the machine will not deny them.
Machine maintenance and refills
Host sites are given the key to the gumball machine and capsule refills to last for the duration of the machine’s stay. Capsules are delivered already filled by the artist using a specific process of folding the paper fortunes according to energetic practices, imbuing each fortune with good energy for its recipient and the intention that the right mini fortune stories choose the recipient that needs them in the moment.
The machine is simple to refill, and should be appointed someone to keep an eye on levels during its stay. The artist is available to refill if the site stay is part of an artist-in-residence program or is local to the artist’s home base.
Questions about The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune?
If your question isn’t covered in this prospectus please reach out to the artist for clarifications at: bailey@baileysendsword.com.
Receive your fortune from the Great Gumball
Experience The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune via videos, social posts, photos, and more
The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune at the ArtFields SC Festival 2026
The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune as listed on Bloomberg Connects Arts+Culture
The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune at ArtFields - Lake City, SC
ArtFields SC Festival 2026 recap reel, The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune feature
Installation site in Lake City, South Carolina
5-gallon bucket full of fortune capsules
Artist Project Statement
The stories we tell ourselves become the plot lines that shape our individual lives and form our collective realities. I believe that we need stories that help us see ourselves and our connection to the world more clearly, give us words for our experiences - even the tough ones - and encourage us to celebrate ourselves more.
My work, including The Gumball Machine of Great Fortune, aims to tell these types of stories by creating surprising encounters with the cosmic in the everyday, colliding the mythic with the modern, and putting playful twists on familiar formats. As if you have suddenly and unexpectedly come across the magic seam that runs just beneath the surface of the seemingly mundane.
An intuitive, light-hearted, and slightly surreal approach to personal and collective storytelling allows humor to lead the way, opening the door for truth to walk right in behind it. However, it’s important to me that the truths found in my stories don't ask you to criticize, question, or "fix" yourself. Instead the stories invite you to consider: What good fortune is yours just because you are you? The story that chooses you is there to remind you of the good fortune it is to be connected to yourself, to others, to the place you stand in, and to all that is.
Contact the Artist
For questions and inquiries, email bailey@baileysendsword.com or use the contact button below.