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

For immediate release: May 27, 2008

Local artist Frank Warren, the talent behind the well-known PostSecret project, will be signing copies of his books at Artomatic.

Launched at Aromatic in November 2004, PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. About 200,000 secrets have been shared. PostSecret has attracted interest from around the world, and the project’s Web site, www.PostSecret.com has been visited by millions.

Copies of one of Warren’s bestselling books, which contain images of some of the many postcards he has received, will be available for purchase during the Artomatic signing events. All proceeds from the book sales benefit Artomatic.

The PostSecret signings will take be held in the Artomatic’s 11th floor store on:
• Friday, June 6 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and
• Friday, June 13, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Visitors to Artomatic can also watch a video presentation of some of the PostSecret postcards Warren has received in the Artomatic Film and Video Theater, which is located on the ninth floor. The videos will be shown before and after the two book signings.

This year’s Artomatic is hosted by the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID). Up to 1,000 local and regional artists are exhibiting their works and performing 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 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
May 9–June 15
1200 First Street, N.E.,
(Corner of First and M Streets)
Washington, D.C.
(New York Avenue Metro station: Red line)
Free, but donations accepted

HOURS
Wednesday–Thursdays: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Fridays–Saturdays: Noon to 2 a.m.
Sundays: Noon to 10 p.m.
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

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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.