For immediate release: May 21, 2008

Artomatic, the Washington, D.C., area’s homegrown art extravaganza, offers more than 60 live performances and activities during its third exciting weekend, May 23-25. In addition to displays by more than 700 visual artists, this weekend will include dozens of free films, music, poetry, dance and musical performances. Highlights will include:

Friday, May 23: A short film festival beginning at 7 p.m. will be followed by a first-come, first-shown open screening from midnight until 2 a.m. Other Friday night events include a Night of Comedy, a dance performance by the International Capoeira Angola Foundation, participatory bellydancing with Romka and Bellatrix, and live music by King Vitamin, Eightyfive, Gina DeSimone and the Moaners, Future, Whiz Bang Three, The Van Allen Belt and more.

Saturday, May 24: Saturday Artomatic attendees can take in “Culture Shock,” a performance by The FreeStyle Movement, an arts advocacy and youth support program sponsored by The Black Leadership Council for Excellence, and then join performers from the 5th Annual East Coast Dance Competition for a late night after-party. There’s also a dance performance by Quantum Leap Lifestyles, Joy of Motion’s Dance Center Youth Company Showcase, a Spoken Word Workshop for children, a Photography 101 Workshop and comedy by Anupama Pillalamarri. Live music performances include Sejayno, Flex Mathews, Brown Monkey Music, Surgery and Sonic Circus.

Sunday, May 25: From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Artomatic will present a workshop on the historical photographic process called wet-plate collodion (fee for participation). Margot MacDonald, Airport Boulevard, Big Bang TV, Oh No Not Stereo, The Bourbon Dynasty and SAW Showcase will provide live music throughout the day.

Artomatic is open Wednesdays and Thursdays as well, so be sure to check the Artomatic Web site for schedules for those days. Also on Thursday nights in the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood is the James Bond Film Festival, with free films beginning at dusk. This Thursday’s movie is Goldfinger. For a schedule of festival movies, visit www.nomabid.org

All Artomatic events are free. For the full weekend schedule, visit the Artomatic calendar at www.artomatic.org/event. For more on children’s activities, visit www.artomatic.org/kids.

Seeing all that artwork can work up an appetite, so check out D.C.’s latest craze in street vending, On The Fly. On The Fly’s bright-green, electric vehicle will be parked in front of Artomatic and at the James Bond Film Festival, serving great food from some of D.C.’s favorite local restaurants like Julia’s Empanadas, Rocklands BBQ and more.

The NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) is hosting Artomatic 2008 at the Capitol Plaza I building, located at 1200 First Street (1st and M Streets), N.E., in Washington, D.C., just one block west of the New York Avenue Metro station. Artomatic hours are Fridays and Saturdays: noon–2 a.m.; Sundays: noon–10 p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5 p.m.–10 p.m.; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Artomatic’s closing day is June 15.

For more information, call the Artomatic info line at 202-339-9007. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take Metro to Artomatic.

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.

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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.

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.