Debbie Wright has a history of meeting middle-aged men in random places in Waco, but that isn’t nearly as creepy as it sounds.

A few years back, she met Mike Hamilton in a warehouse on Franklin Avenue, a space that became the first home of Rogue Media. Wright met Hamilton, now the chief creative officer at Rogue, to discuss her starting a podcast at the new company.

More recently, Wright met “Jimmy from Facebook” to check out a vending machine he had listed for sale on Marketplace. It had been stored in his garage for a while. She bought it, gave it a thorough cleaning and refurbishing, and decorated it with graphics she designed and then printed at Triple Win Waco. Now, instead of spitting out candy bars and bags of chips, the vending machine dispenses art.

The machine currently houses the work of about 12 artists, with items for sale including prints, key chains, stickers, postcards and jewelry, including some designed by Wright herself.

Wright’s favorite offering is a do-it-yourself art kit, that includes small versions of an easel, canvas, acrylic paint and brushes.

“That’s one of the really cool things that we made at Cultivate (7Twelve) and put in the machine,” she said. “And it comes with a Cultivate sticker, of course.”

When she bought the machine, which was built in 1983, the most expensive item it displayed cost 65 cents. There might still be some coins in the machine’s lockbox, but Wright doesn’t have that key. Now, the machine accepts only $1 bills — not $5s or $10s, just $1s. Credit cards? Not a chance.

Art in the machine is priced from $1 to $15, so a patron who buys the most expensive item has to feed the machine 15 $1 bills, Wright said.

“It’s a community partnership, so we don’t really make any money from this,” Wright said. “We do pay all the artists for all the stuff that goes in the vending machine. It really is just a community initiative to get art into the community.”

The machine spent the first six months of its new life at Southern Roots Brewing Company, which did not charge rent for the space the machine occupied. Wright chose that location because it was home to the Waco Independent Film Festival’s game night.

“We wanted to kick off the vending machine during film festival weekend because there were going to be so many people from out of town,” Wright said.

The machine was recently relocated to Revival Eastside Eatery at 704 Elm Avenue where it will reside for another few months.

“We’ll try and rotate it pretty frequently, maybe two or three times a year, just depending on how long the place lets us put it up,” she said.

Wright, who was born in Germany and grew up in Odessa, out in West Texas, graduated from Midway High School in 2016 and then from Texas Tech in 2019 — just three years, thanks to high school dual credit classes — with a degree in communication studies, a minor in public relations and a specialization in digital media, all without leaving Waco. She attended Tech through the university’s partnership with McLennan Community College. She owns Cultivate 7Twelve, which was rebranded to Cultivate Waco after leaving the space at 712 Austin Avenue. Cultivate Waco creates community art initiatives and pop-up and works with other organizations such as Goodwill and Waco Cultural Arts Fest.

Wright was also the host of the Know Waco podcast; has painted murals, including the ones at the Rogue Media offices in the ALICO building and at the new Uptown Cheapskate store in downtown. At one point she was also running 14 social media accounts for various clients. She currently handles social media for the WACOAN.

Wright is married to her high school sweetheart, Kameron Jorgenson, who teaches social studies at Quinn Middle School. His family goes back several generations in Waco, which played into their decision to stay here after college. They now live near downtown.

When Wright started getting into the creative scene in Waco, “I met a whole bunch of amazing, cool people, which I think was the start of me just getting involved in the community,” she said.

Artistic Opportunities

Though Cultivate Waco doesn’t have a physical space at the moment, it’s still busy offering artistic opportunities in the area. Recent initiatives have included a pop-up artisan market; craft classes for adults at the Hewitt Public Library; a murder mystery performance at Around the World Bakery; and a Wine and Watercolor Night at Marie’s Wine Bar. Upcoming events can be found on Cultivate’s numerous social media platforms.