Artomatic CD release party to be held tonight at Ibiza

Come and get an earful of some of the musical performers that will rock Artomatic this summer at a free CD release party tonight, Thursday, May 8.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Ibiza Night Club will play host to some of the bands that are on this year’s Artomatic CD compilation. Live music will be provided by BanjerDan, Lou Black, 302acid, The Splints, James Terrell and Free Lobster Buffet. Ibiza is located at 1222 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., adjacent to the site of Artomatic 2008 and close to the New York Avenue Metro station.

Ibiza party-goers will be able to check out the 17-track Artomatic 2008 CD, which will also be available at the official Artomatic store during the event. The launch party is a musical preview of this year’s Artomatic, which opens to the public at noon on Friday. With more than 100 musical performances scheduled for May 9–June 15, Artomatic will be the place for free live music in Washington, D.C.

Both Artomatic and Ibiza are located in the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood, which is also the site of the James Bond Film Festival. Free and open to the public, the outdoor festival will feature 16 of the best Bond flicks from 1962 through 2006. The film festival will also kick off tonight at dusk — around 8 p.m. For a schedule of festival movies, visit www.nomabid.org.

This year’s Artomatic is hosted by the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID). Up to 1,000 local and regional artists will exhibit their works on 10 floors (more than 200,000 square feet) of the Capitol Plaza I building at 1200 First Street, N.E.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic transforms an unfinished indoor space into an exciting and diverse arts event that is free and open to the public. In addition to displays and sales by hundreds of artists, the event features free films, educational presentations and children’s activities, as well as musical, dance, poetry, theater and other performances.

For Artomatic directions and hours, call the event infoline at 202-339-9007. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take Metro to Artomatic.

For a full list of all Artomatic activities, visit the online event calendar at www.artomatic.org/event. The site also contains a catalog of artists taking part in Artomatic with images of their work as well as videos and music from performers.

For directions and hours, call the Artomatic infoline at 202-339-9007. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take Metro to Artomatic.

Artomatic blood drive benefits the Blood Donor Center at Children's National Medical Center

On May 10, from noon until 4 p.m., Artomatic will be sponsoring a blood drive to benefit the Blood Donor Center at Children's National Medical Center. The drive will take place on the grounds of the Capitol Plaza I building, site of this year’s Artomatic. The Capitol Plaza I building is located at 1200 First Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002 (New York Avenue Metro stop, M Street exit). Children’s National Medical Center will be bringing a bloodmobile to collect donations on-site.

“Artomatic is a community arts event, and this is one of the many ways that we are giving back to our community,” said Artomatic artist Kerri Sheehan, who is helping coordinate the blood drive.

The Blood Donor Center team at Children’s National Medical Center collects approximately 2,800 whole blood donations and 750 platelet donations per year. But as the number of patients treated at the medical center continues to grow, the need for blood donations is greater than ever. Blood and platelets are in constant demand for victims of accidents, cancer treatments, blood diseases and many types of surgery. Each pint donated through the drive may help three or more patients at Children’s National. While all blood centers have a constant need, Children’s National Medical Center is the only hospital in the region dedicated exclusively to pediatrics and has specialized needs for transfusion services for children.

On May 10, Children's National Medical Center is hoping to collect more than 30 units of blood through the Artomatic blood drive, and that could help save lives of up to 90 children.

Donors will be able to give blood on a walk-up basis on Saturday, but you can make sure you are first in line by reserving a timeslot. To make a reservation, visit www.childrensnational.org/ donateblood, enter the sponsor code “art”, select the Artomatic drive and reserve your time.

Artomatic visitors looking for that perfect piece of art for their home or office will have an extra incentive to pick out their favorite at this year’s event.

As part of an Artomatic-sponsored raffle, visitors will have a chance to win a $200 gift certificate that can be used to purchase any art for sale at Artomatic.

“With more than 700 visual artists showing thousands of artworks, including paintings, photography, glass, ceramics, sculptures and fiber works, Artomatic will be an art-lovers paradise,” said Artomatic artist Liliane Blom, who is coordinating the raffle. “The raffle will provide an extra incentive for visitors to find an artwork that they love and make it their own.”

Raffle tickets are $5 each and will be sold during Artomatic, which will be held May 9–June 15. Odds of winning are 1:80, with half of raffle proceeds benefiting Artomatic. Tickets will be sold at the Artomatic store, located on the 11th floor, and by roaming volunteers.

Raffle drawings will be held every time 80 tickets are sold, meaning there may be multiple drawings and multiple winners. Drawings will be held Fridays at 9 p.m. in the Artomatic store. Winners need not be present to win. Full details on the raffle are available at the event.

“The only hard choice for the winner will be deciding which artwork to use their $200 gift certificate on,” Blom said.

Artwork on display at Artomatic cannot be removed during the course of the event, so purchasers will need to wait until after June 15 to hang their new art at home. Visitors wishing to purchase art should contact the artists directly.