'Art Of The Machine' Celebrates Designs on New Narcan Vending Machines

Narcan accessibility in Dallas is growing exponentially. Known formally as naloxone, the life-saving drug is used to reverse an opiod overdose by way of nasal spray or injection. Last year, we profiled LeAnne Burdette, a mother who founded a Narcan education nonprofit called Jacob's Journey in honor of her late son who died of a drug overdose. Dallas-favorite coffee shop Full City Rooster has a basket of free Narcan to take at the cash register.

Last September, Narcan became readily available on the streets of Deep Ellum. A massive collaboration between Conscience Conduit, LIVEGY, Association of Persons Affected by Addiction, Regular People, Deep Ellum Foundation, Parkland Hospital and Amplified Minds, formerly Foundation 45, brought free Narcan vending machines to DFW. Local artists Kaia Bellanca and Ace Cordell were selected to design a limited number of machines that were first placed in Deep Ellum.

Made from refurbished pantyhose vending machines from the '70s, there are two units installed in Deep Ellum, one at Club Dada and the other at Reno's Chop Shop.

Conscience Conduit and LIVEGY are ready to plant more. The two organizations collaborated on an initiative that will showcase 30 Narcan vending machines and install them around Dallas, each with unique artwork on them by a variety of artists from North Texas and beyond.

"In general, the reception has been fantastic," says LIVEGY executive director Peter Pursley. "People are starting to realize the kind of impact that opioids, specifically Fentanyl, have had on the community, state and nation at large, and they want to do something about it."

Buoyed by the positive reaction, an entire new wave of machines were built.

"When we launched in September, our goal was to show the greater metroplex the idea and get people excited about joining in on this project," Pursley says. "I think we did just that. Now in February, we feel as though we have put the pieces in place to take this vending machine project to the next level."

The art was curated by Dallas photographer Breonny Lee and Jennifer Sturges, and will be displayed in a three-part celebration called "Art Of The Machine," which also features music from DJ Ducato Vega and alcohol-free beverages from Beyond The Bar.

“The curatorial process was open to local artists,” Lee says. “We didn’t offer any parameters or regulations on the artists’ work, allowing them to stretch their creativity on these unconventional canvases.”

Lee says that while Bellanca’s machine has already been placed in the community, the celebration will include a selection of her pieces to hang on the wall.

“I’m excited every time I get the privilege to hang her work,” Lee says.

Encompassing three days over the next three months, Dallas is invited to celebrate the machine's visual stylings by local artists, including Virginia Lindsay, Sergio Garcia, Amy Krause and Frank Campagna, father of the late Frankie Campagna from Spector 45.

It was Frankie's death that inspired the band's drummer, Anthony Delabano to form Foundation 45 in his honor. Now known as Amplified Minds, the nonprofit has offered free therapy and mental health services across North Texas for more than 10 years. Delabano now spearheads Conscience Conduit, where he's been able to install vending machines near ZIP codes in Dallas and San Antonio with high death tolls from drug-related causes.

"In San Antonio, we learned that it saved somebody's life," he says. "In Dallas, we were told on a couple occasions that it's been used to revive somebody."

Delabano says that he's willing to do whatever he can to help, and that the machines could soon be seen on a national scale, with some already beginning to pop up in North Carolina and Santa Fe.

"It's obviously proven its value already," Delabano says. "However, we still have a lot of work to be done."

In the meantime, Dallas has cause to celebrate the arrival of the new decorated machines. "Art Of The Machine" kicks off with an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 6-9 p.m. Titled “For The Artists,” the event will mark the official unveiling of the 30 new vending machines.

On Sunday, March 16, the celebration returns to DECC with the “For The Entertainers” celebration. The organizations are coy about the exact details, but Conscience Conduit’s website teases a variety show, “think freak show performances, but with your community.”

The final night of celebration comes about on Sunday, April 13, with an ‘80s and ‘90s dance party including a Deep Ellum-themed musical chairs, whatever that entails.

Each night of celebration is free to attend, with online RSVP available via the Conscience Conduit website.