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

For immediate release: May 8, 2008

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 to 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.

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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 over $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.