Artomatic media contact: Marina Reiter, 202-271-4748
NoMa BID media contact: Leslie Braunstein, 703-234-7762

For immediate release: May 8, 2008

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.

This year’s Artomatic will be hosted by the NoMa (north of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID). The much-anticipated art event will run from May 9 through June 15, 2008. 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.

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

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About Artomatic: Artomatic is a creative community that collaborates to produce and present a free arts spectacular. Participation is open to all, from recognized artists to undiscovered talents, who work in a variety of arts forms. In partnership with the development community, Artomatic transforms unused building space into a playground for expression, serves as a catalyst for community growth in up-and-coming neighborhoods, and helps to grow our creative economy. The nonprofit Artomatic organization is headed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.artomatic.org.

About the NoMa BID: NoMa is an emerging mixed-use neighborhood north of the U.S. Capitol and Union Station in Washington, D.C. Private developers have invested more than $1 billion in 2007–2008 alone, with plans to develop more than 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space in the 35-block area covered by the NoMa BID over the next 10 years. For more information about the BID, including an interactive development map, see the BID Web site at www.nomabid.org.

About Children’s National Medical Center: Children's National Medical Center, located in Washington, DC, is a proven leader in the development of innovative new treatments for childhood illness and injury. Children’s has been serving the nation's children for more than 135 years. Children’s National is proudly ranked among the best pediatric hospitals in America by US News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit www.childrensnational.org.