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

For immediate release: May 8, 2008

If you’ve got a budding Frida Kahlo or Pablo Picasso in your family, Artomatic will the place for your kids to be this summer. The five-week event will include more than a dozen free children’s activities, including hands-on workshops, tours and other arts-related attractions. And that’s in addition to the thousands of artworks that will be on display.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic is the Washington, D.C., area's one-of-a-kind multimedia arts event. More than 1,000 artists — including about 700 visual artists and 300 performers — are participating in this year’s event. For the first time, Artomatic will be hosting a full lineup of events designed especially for younger artists.

Free children’s activities are scheduled for every weekend of Artomatic, which will be held May 9–June 15. The kids events kick off Saturday May 10 with storytelling at noon and continue with drawing, dolls, portraits, poetry and more on subsequent days. Kids will get to express their creativity through hands-on activities such as making their own mobiles, seed mosaics or fanciful paper hats.

“Artomatic is for everyone in the community, including children, so we’ve designed a full slate of events just for them,” said Fran Atkinson, Artomatic children’s activities co-chair. “Today’s creative kids are tomorrow’s artists.”

While at Artomatic, kids should check out the 10th floor, which is home to more than three dozen Peeps dioramas. Artomatic is once again hosting finalists from the Sunday Source Peeps Diorama Contest held by The Washington Post. On Saturday, May 31, from noon to 2 p.m., children can take part in a tour of the Peeps dioramas and a free Peeps diorama-making workshop. A second diorama workshop will be held June 7. The dioramas can also be viewed anytime during regular Artomatic hours.

Families will also want to browse the wide range of artwork on display at Artomatic. Artomatic will include nine floors of visual artwork, including ceramics, sculptures, installations, paintings, fiber works, photography and murals. Artomatic is unique in that it is an inclusive and open art event, showcasing works from a range of performers and artists. Artomatic is an open, unjuried event. Not all artwork may not be suited for children, so parents should use their own judgment as they accompany their families during the event.

Parents who bring their children to Artomatic will want to pick up a copy of the Kidsomatic Self-Tour Guide, which includes a list of artworks that appeal to kids, as selected by Artomatic children’s events organizers. Copies of the guide will be available on the first floor.

All Artomatic children’s events are free, but space may be limited. To RSVP and reserve a space, visit www.artomatic.org/kids Children ages 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent during kids activities. For questions on more information on the children’s schedule, e-mail e-mail Fran Atkinson at msazuri@msn.com.

Presented in collaboration with the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID), Artomatic 2008 is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors during its five-week run. The event will be held on 10 floors — more than 200,000 square feet — of the Capitol Plaza I building. The building is located at 1200 First Street, N.E., just one block west of the New York Avenue Metro station, in Washington, D.C.

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 2008 CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
Schedule subject to change. Check the Artomatic Web site for class updates and descriptions: www.artomatic.org/kids. Children’s events meet at the Artomatic education room on the seventh floor.

Saturday, May 10
Noon–2 p.m.
Storytelling

1-5 p.m.
Mural painting

3-5 p.m.
Art Dolls

Sunday, May 11
1–2:30 p.m.
Expressive Drawing

Saturday, May 17
Noon - 2.p.m 
Piñata Workshop

NEW TIME  (Moved to 5/18 at 4–6 p.m.)
Mobile Art by Paul Sikora

2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
Self-Portraits

Saturday, May 24
2 p.m.–4 p.m.
Spoken Word Workshop

Saturday, May 31
Noon - 2 p.m.
Peeps Tour and Diorama Workshop I

2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Collage/Mixed Media

Sunday, June 1
4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Mobile Art

Saturday, June 7
Noon-2 p.m.
Drawing Your Dreams

3-5 p.m.
Peeps Diorama Workshop II

Sunday, June 8
1-2:30 p.m.
Kids and Parents Art Challenge

Friday, June 13
Time TBD
Dance & Vocal Orientation

Saturday, June 14
Time TBD
Dance & Vocal Workshop

Noon-2 p.m.
Seed Mosaics/Seed Rattles

2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Fanciful Paper Hats

3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Sculpt A Story



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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.