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

For immediate release: May 27, 2008

The ever-popular Peeps will take center stage on Peeps Day, Saturday, May 31, at Artomatic, the Washington, D.C. area’s homegrown art extravaganza hosted by the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID). Peeps Day, held in conjunction with the winners of The Washington Post’s Sunday Source Peeps Diorama Contest, will include a “meet the artists” Peeps Party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., along with a children’s tour and workshop from noon to 2 p.m.

Another highlight of Artomatic’s fourth weekend in NoMa is the first-ever Artomatic 500 on Sunday, June 1, during which Artomatic’s participating artists will run wearing homemade decorated cardboard “vehicles.” Winners will be selected based on “some combination of garishness and ingenuity yet to be determined,” said organizer Sal Ferro.

Among the dozens of free live performances and activities to be held throughout the weekend is an appearance by the popular band Mambo Sauce at 10 p.m. on Saturday. The go-go band is well-known for its Billboard chart-topping song “Welcome to D.C.,” which has been used as the official introduction song for Washington Wizards home games.

Artomatic’s displays by over 700 visual artists on 10 floors will continue as well. Additional weekend highlights include:

Friday, May 30: Dance by Joy of Motion and Mavi/DCTribal; open screening and “jukebox movies;” music by Skydivers, The Mesmers, Mike Clayberg and Caryn Fox.

Saturday, May 31: Free workshops on field sketching, art collecting and creating Peeps dioramas; children’s collage workshop and Peeps workshop; improvisational comedy by Yap and 5-6-7-8; outdoor fire performance by Fire Conclave; music by Mambo Sauce, Alejandro Alegria, Birds and Buildings, Flip Red, Bliss, Lil SoSo Productions, Ronald Mulero, DJ Grun and others.

Sunday, June 1: Artomatic 500; free workshops on large format photography and mobile-making; poetry and prose by Kathy Morris; and live music by Daniel Gage, Michael Blumenstock, Raucous Caucus Brigade, Alexis George, Pet Parade and House of Echo.

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 neighborhood is the James Bond Film Festival, with free films beginning at dusk. This Thursday’s movie is Thunderball. 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 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.

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.