Artomatic Takes Flight

2014-2015 Reagan National Airport (DCA), in the Historic Terminal A

Artomatic Takes Flight brought together visitors traveling through Reagan National Airport and Artomatic art festival artists. Just like the festival, this show was not curated in the traditional sense; artists were selected on a first-come, first-served basis, from a pool of artists who had previously participated in an Artomatic. The result was serendipitous and at times unpredictable. My challenge was to organize, arrange, and install 110 artists’ works with a wide range of styles and mediums in an historic airport terminal gallery space. This required coordinating with Artomatic artists, Artomatic board members, the Reagan National Airport Facilities Management Team and the TSA. It was one of the most challenging installations I have ever undertaken. However, it was also one of my favorite installation experiences. I loved the challenge of installing a wide range of artists to create an exhibition that was visually interesting, but also allowed individual artists to inhabit their space. A saxophone re-imagined as a train engine was displayed alongside a primal close-up of a newborn baby’s first cry. In another setting I would not have put these artists together, but the nature of this exhibition challenged me to discover unexpected connections. In this case, the subject and materials used to create these pieces playfully complimented each other.  I was fortunate to work closely with Liliane Blom - WEBSITE HERE.

Aromatic started in Washington, D.C. in 1999 in the historic Manhattan Laundry buildings on Florida Avenue.  Douglas Development donated the use of the buildings to a group of artists who invited their friends to exhibit. These friends, in turn, invited their friends — and so on — until every nook in the building was filled with paintings, sculpture, installations and art of every description. The artists coined the name “Art-O-Matic” to acknowledge the spontaneity of the event and its location in the old laundry building. More than 25,000 people visited the first Aromatic during its six-week lifespan.

The festival now runs for 6 weeks at a time, every couple of years or so.  The date is only set once a site is found – usually a commercial building just coming on line or a site slated for demolition. Emerging and established artists present their work side by side and have the chance to work with, and learn from, one another. Artists, organizations and visitors come together and illustrate the energy, vitality and strength of the arts to impact the community. The festival is completely unjuried, and welcomes artists and musicians on a first-come-first-served basis. The last event featured over 1,700 artists and performers and drew over 70,000 visitors.  Artomatic also hosts smaller events throughout the year and has a licensing program to bring the arts to communities outside the Washington DC metro area.

The most recent Artomatic took place in 2017 in Crystal City, which is a part of Arlington County in Virginia. For more information visit the website HERE.