Artomatic

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116126, 6:48 AM

ymatic , April - May 2007

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Sesow at Artomatic 2007

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Visitors take in 90,0¢
during opening night

I) Artomatic is a free m

roughly 800 regional
and is held in Crysta

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6:48 AM

By Bririany Bor
tboyE@timespapers.com
rtomatic, the
Washington area's irrev-
erent arts extravaganza,
is back this spring and,
forthe first time, is happening on this,
side of the Potomac River,

Held four times since 1999, Arto-
matic has grown to become the re-
gion's largest one-of.a-kind multimedia
event featuring roughly 600 regional
artists and performers under one roof,

‘Open now through May 20, the
free event sprawls 90,000 square feet
of space on two levels (six and eight)
ofa plush Crystal City office build-
ng. Visitors are welcome to wander
rom room to room brimming with

E original painting, sculpture, photogra
phy and other creative works.
‘Artomatic also features special
events, including musical and visual
ces, poetry readings, art
for kids and adults, and a
yyo celebration. Previous
ows have attracted as
) visitors.

time this year.
into, you don't

‘What makes Artomatic so unique
is that anyone with the nominal $75
entrance fee can participate, and
there is no jury or gallery curator to
please, So, there is a wide range of
work on display, from beginner to
professional, and a whole lot of it.

batps:/ www sesow.com/press/2k art htm

‘Sesow at Artomatic , Aptil- May 2007

Arts extravaganza makes !

‘The freeforall event is the result of
gressroots efforts made by area artists
‘who came together in the late 1990s.
Frustrated with the D.C. art scene,
they wanted to create a cohesive exhi-
bition and performance opportunity
open to anyone, to build an audience
for artisis, and to highlight the need
for artistic space in the area, said
‘Artomatic chair George Koch, one of
the original founding artists.

Tn 1999, the first Artomatic event
was held at D.C's Manhattan
Taundry on Florida Avenue. The
name "Artomatic' came as a play on
words after the hand-operated "Coin-
‘O-Matic" laundry machines that
occupied tNe Manhattan Laundry
building. "Artomatic was originally
hyphenated "ArtO-Matic." The
hyphens were later dropped.

In 2005, Artomatic became a
501(0)3 nonprofit run by a board of
directors made up of local artists and
Supporters and a stecring committee
‘of local artists, arts administrators
and community activists. The board
develops outreach procedures and
‘guidelines to solicit broad particips-
tion from artists in the Washington
metropolitan area.

From now on, Koch saith)
Artomatic will be an annual event,
most likely held in D.C.

Jesse Thomas, a Tysons Corner-
based graphics designer, is exhibiting
‘work at Artomatic for the second time
this year. He participated at the last
show in 2004 at the old National
Children's Museum in southwest D.C.

‘The exposure from that event,

mi When: Now through Sunday,
May 20. Gallery hours are
Sundays, Tuesdays and
Wednesdays, noon-10 p.m.;
Thursdays, noon-11 p.m.; and
Fridays and Saturdays, noon-1
a.m. Closed Mondays.

Where: 2121 Crystal Drivo,
Arlington, 6th and éth floors

Cost: Free

B Information:
www.artomatic.org

‘Thomas said, propelled him to land a
handful of additional art exhibits in
D.C. and New York. "Itwas incredible.”
Success also came for 2004
‘Artomatic artist Frank Warren who
circulated blank postcards at the
show for people to write down their
secrets, He posted the creative
responses online, and the site report-
edly became the most visited blog
site on Yahoo for weeks. In 2005, he
got a book deal for "PostSecret"
‘Artomatic's location depends on
‘what space organizers can score for
free. Organizers seek out space that is
‘empty for whatever reason and that
they can temporarily take over, rent-
free. In the past, building space was
unoccupied because it was between
tenants or in prerenovation limbo.
‘This year, the Crystal City
Business Improvement District, a pub-
licprivate partnership between com-

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ww at Artomatic , April - May 2007

yinia debut

mercial businesses within the BID dis-
trict of Arlington County, was instru-
mental in bringing Artomatic to vacant,
pre-renovation office space in Crystal
City. The BID was interested in the
increased foot traffic Artomatic would
bring to help promote area business.

McLean-based photographer Ibi
Hinrichs is exhibiting roughly two
dozen black and white and color pho-
tographs at her Artomatic debut this
year. She said she wanted to partici-
pate in Artomatic to gain exposure
and be a part of the community of
artists that Artomatic creates.

"[People] get isolated in this day
and time and hear only negative
things," Hinrichs said. "Being with all
of the other artists is an experience
that switches you out of that."

Koch, the Artomatic chair, said
that building a sense of community
among artists was one of Artomatic's
founding principles. To help facilitate
that, each participant must commit to.
volunteering 15 hours toward the
event. "It's a chance for artists to get
to know one another," Koch said.

He added that the onus of sustain-
ing a vibrant arts community in the
area falls on elected public officials
and leaders in the arts community. "If
you want to have a vibrant arts com-
munity, you have to pay attention to it
and you have to do something to
make it happen," he said, such as
providing open space.

Each Artomatic visitor will find
some work they like and some they ,
do not and that discovery is really
what it is all about.

Pree tana ene

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Sesow at Artomatic , April - May 2007

WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP HERE... (click to play):
another matt sesow interview on artomatic

WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP HERE... (click to play):

https://www.sesow.com/press/2k7/art.htm

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Sesow at Artomatic , April - May 2007

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‘Sesow at Artomatic , April - May

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at Artomatic , April- May 2007

Matt Sesow’s “Free Range Amiga”
is partof “Artomatic 2007.”

Tpedae re

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Art for All
More than 509 lecal
artists willshow thor
paintings, sculpture,
Photography and
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‘Artoratie 2007," 2
$0,000-square:foot
temporary spaceon
twofloors of 2
Crystal City office
bullding. There wil
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children and au
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btps:/wow ses

5 conn/press/2

fart.

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Sesow at Artomatic , April - May 2007

photos by Mike Olliver: (pictures from installation)

https://www.sesow.com/press/2k7/art.htm

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116126, 6:48 AM ‘Sesow at Artomatic , April- May 2007

artsandevents: showtell

No-Show Showdown
Are the volunteers who ditched Artomatic flaking out or sending organizers a message?
8

Adams Morgan painter Matt Sesow adores Artomatic, “It's the greatest thing we have going on in D.C, other than
the Smithsonian,” he says. Artomatic began in 1999 as an effort to showcase local artists and bring their work to the
public free of charge. For the inaugural e rtomatic’s Web site says, ists “colonized” the Manhattan,

Laundry building on Florida Avene NW, drawing more than 20,000 visitors in six weeks.

This year, Artomatic’s in Crystal Gity, occupying two floors of the former U.S. Patent and Trademark building at
2121 Crystal Drive. Approximately 3,900 people visited Artomatic on its opening night, says Artomatic chair
George Koch. “It's like an encyclopedia, 2 refresher, our own biennial, a democratic, open one," says art blogger
and critic Lenny Campello. As always, Artomaticis unjuried, which means anyone can participate, as long as he or

she pays registration fee and volunteers some time to make the event function.

Volunteering, is a erucial part of Artomatic, says volunteer coordinator and Artomatic artist Rehecea Gordon.

the artists double as bartenders, greeters, and garbagemen, ushering the public into the building and

batps:/ www sesow.com/press/2k art htm nag

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116126, 6:48 AM

‘Sesow at Artomatic , April- May 2007
hauling empty beer bottles out. “I's one of the mechanisms by which we build community among artists and across

artistic disciplines,” Gordon writes in an e-mail

Sesow especially likes the do-it-yourself spirit of Artomatic, On opening night, he and his girliriend, fellow painter

Dana Ellyn, doled out Red Bulls at one of Actomatic’s makeshift bars. “My gi

friend and I just did what we said we

would do,” Sesow says,

‘Many Artomatic artists weren't as diligent. That night, only nine of the 18 people scheduled to close the space showed
up. Four Volunteers shirked their responsibilities in the shift immediately before that one, and a handful of artists
‘were no-shows on Saturday. Now, the organizers are considering barring delinquent volunteers from participating

in future Artomatic events.

Getting artists to volunteer has never been a problem in the past, Gordon says. “It’s too early to make dire
predictions, but it makes me sod to sce participating artists flout the rules,” she writes. According to Gordon, all
Artomatic artists signed up for volunteer shifts. Visual artists (there are about 400 this year) are supposed to

contribute thre:

re hour shifts; the 200 performing artists are expected to contribute one, All volunteers get e-mail

reminders 48 hours before their shifts are scheduled to begin, and they can alter their schedules at any time.

But only one af the no-shows contacted Gordon to cancel, which meant volunteers already at the space had to takeon
additional shifts and other artists who were there to have a good time wound up spending the evening tossing trash
and stocking toilet paper. “It leaves their fellow artists holding the bag and if it continues, it hegins to reflect badly

oneveryone and

certainly going to affect the overall morale,” Gordon writes.

Jim Tretick, an artist who served as Artomatic's Event and Program Management Committee chair, says he found

the number of no-shows dispiriting. “When we spend hours and hours and hours setting up a system and then we

have to scramble to find bodies to serve beer, it’s frustrating,”

Gordon says she is stumped by the high number of no-shows. “Do we have an unusually large group of artists who

don’t feel a sense of responsibility to their fellow artists?” she writes. “Was it a mistake not tomake punitive action.
for missed shifts a more prominent iseue at registration? Do we need to do more PR shout the volunteer nature of the

organization?”

She worries that Artomatic is deteriorating into an us-vs--them mentality. In an interview, she says a few “whiny”

artists complained about thelr exhibit space: “They seid, ‘My wall space would be bigger,’ " she says, But “there is no

‘they.’ There's only we.”

Sondra Arkin, Ariomatic’s president, has also heard divisive talk. "Ves, 've seen this us/them thing creeping into

AOM,” she writes in an e-mail, “and while thereare mai

explanations, partly the Board is at fault because a lot of

our role (certainly mine as president) is organizing us better and protesting the brand.”

(One artist, who asked not to be named, says Artomatic’s steering committee amounts to an in erowd with privileges
when it comes to exhibition space and installation schedules, complaining that the disciplinary e-mails for missed

shifts were too harsh. “I felt like the art Gestapo wes e-mailing me and calling me to tell me Imissed my shift,” the

batps:/ www sesow.com/press/2k art htm ig

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116126,6:48 AM

‘Sesow at Artomatic , April- May 2007

artist says

Kathryn Williamson, « Rockville performance artist, says she was instructed not to install a wooden sculpture due
to ire codes. I think it’s sort of turned bureaucratic,” she says. ‘Some artists say they want to do something, and they

say No, no, no.’ *

In 2004, for the first time, Artomatic’s steering committee elected a volunteer Executive Committee, which became
the fist board of directors. The reason, Arkin says, was Artomatic had a surplus of money and needed to deposit it in
the bank. So it became 501(c)3, complete with # nine-person board. It also applied for trademark protection. After
all, Arkin says in an interview, while the organization is all about spreading Artomatic's mission and ethos, “we
don’t want someone to come around in five years and say we've trademarked the name, and you can't do Artomatic

Since 2004, Arkin writes, she has worked hard to “make it seem like there is someone in charge,” but she wonders
whetherattempts to strengthen and streamline the event have had the unintended consequence of alienating some
artists by making it seem like an institution was making the decisions, To counterbelance the sense of centralization,
Arkin says she and fellow board members have sought to “empower a broader steering committee.” Anyone can join
Artomatic’s onganizing committees, and each committee chooses representatives to participate in the steering,

committee,

Whatever the cause for the shift-shirking, Artomatic’s organizers are planning to address it. “The biggest option on
the table isbanning them from the next Artomatie event,” Gordon says. For the all-inclusive arts extravaganza, those
are fighting words. ‘It’s a difficult discussion we're having. I's painful. You don’t want to tell people to take their

toys and go.”

Arkin says the board isn't ready to ban artists—yet. This week, she says, she will “cajole and lay out some amnesty
approach.” And that approach may already be working. On Sunday; Gordon says, 35 out of 96 volunteers showed up,

for their Sunday shifts. “Maybe word got out.”

Got Something for Show & Tell? Send tips to show @washingtoncitypaper.com. Or call (202) 332-2100, x 455.

batps:/ www sesow.com/press/2k art htm 13s

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‘Sesow at Artomatic , April- May 2007

PES =
MORE ABOUT MATT SESOW

thanks for taking 2 look at my artomatic paintings.

| am a ful-tine painter living and painting in the adams morgan
Ineighborhocd of de snce 1994, Ive been fortunate enough fo live
entrely of the sales of my paintings for the pest. ars and cedt
artomatic as being significant to my s a de painter. 1 hope
‘my wall of paintings has inspired or invoked an emotional reacton
from you today. my a

was to invite erticiom, adn

Jomotionally charged works

read interview

it you want to buy one of my paintings or visit my studio:
ihe best way to reserve

sesow@ecsow.com of leave a meacage at 2

leave the number ofthe paining you wart andl! hc

MCh cr me nen
Luu R nent eka lar td
Tee eee eis
‘each painting must be started on the morning it represents and all 31
ee ne eee ee eet
Sees ete knee aT ead

CONTACT INFO: some of the 2007 shows:

april: Ocoarsie,

Atlanta: 2 person

may: Mane solo show
C: mount ph

Get bank
www.sesow.com ramento: 800 show
Now York: group
Ue CLL te) Aol) july: Old Domin, Univ: 2 person show
DC:, hinge fest warshouse thea
solo sho

PEER zee

matt sesow updates his webpage all week
Cre ire

you can cell matt dlteetly on your phone at:

btps:/wow ses

5 conn/press/2

feted ended osteo ord

fart.

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