Veronica Szalus, Artomatic, (703) 371-8475, veronica@zysz.tv
Dave Diller, Playa del Fuego, (240) 723-6763, dave@ious.org
Artomatic, Inc. and Playa del Fuego, Inc. - institutions of the mid-Atlantic arts community - have joined together to create this year's most distinctive inaugural celebration, The Art of Change (www.artists-ball.org), on Jan. 20, 2009 at 8 pm. With the generous support of Corporate Sponsor Scion (www.scion.com) and location sponsors The Warehouse Arts Complex (www.warehousetheater.com) and Douglas Development (www.douglasdevelopment.com), this event brings Washington, D.C., a unique opportunity to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as President. Tickets are available immediately for $50 at www.artists-ball.org
Occupying three separate venues on the 1000 block of 7th Street, NW in downtown Washington D.C., The Art of Change will feature visual and performing arts, multiple dance floors, fire dancing and live music. DJs from across the mid-Atlantic region will be spinning an eclectic mix of musical styles on two dance floors, and in The Art of Change Galleries, displaying artworks created for this celebration. The Variety Stage will showcase performances all night long, including live music, comedy, belly dancing and spoken word poetry. And outside, attendees will enjoy fire-dance performances while dancing to up-and-coming DJs in the heated White Tent.
George C. Koch, chair of Artomatic, Inc.:
"The Art of Change is an example of the collaborative spirit within the
creative community and it speaks to the desire of artists to be a full
partner in the change that is taking place in our country and our
community. The Art of Change brings together the progressive and
creative communities to support a new vision for our creative economy."
Dave Diller, president of Playa del Fuego, Inc.:
"We're so glad to be working in partnership with Artomatic and all of
The Art of Change supporting organizations from across D.C.'s arts
communities. Our organizations have long sought to break down the
barriers to participation in the realm of art, and with this
celebratory event we look forward to a bold new era of similar efforts
in the realm of government."
In the spirit of community organizing and collaboration that President-elect Obama has come to represent, The Art of Change is being planned in collaboration with a number of supporting organizations. These include DC Burners, Dance Afire, Bethesda Theatre, Cultural Attaché, Washington Project for the Arts, 4&9 Productions LLC, Brightest Young Things, The Pink Line Project, Pecha Kucha , Creative DC, Hungry for Music, International Art & Artists, DC Advocates for the Arts, Copyright Alliance, Capitol Riverfront BID, NoMa BID and Downtown BID.
This collaborative ethic also facilitates social engagement by making us all responsible for the creation and maintenance of our shared culture. We encourage all attendees to contribute by performing, displaying art, volunteering, or donating to make this event a success. For more information visit www.artists-ball.org.
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Artomatic (www.artomatic.org) 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.
Playa del Fuego (www.playadelfuego.org) is a
non-profit, participant-directed organization whose mission is to hold
interactive events that promote artistic creativity and freedom of
expression.
The Art of Change is an inaugural event created by and for the nation's art communities. We intend to create a unique celebration to mark the beginning of President-elect Barack Obama's administration and the positive changes we believe it will bring to our nation.
To create this event, volunteers have come together from all over Washington, DC's creative communities to collaborate in an event that will meld together art, music, and performance to show the District of Columbia the most original and creative inaugural event ever held.
Change is coming to the world and we intend to be on the front lines to participate in it.
The Art of Change planning committee is an all-volunteer group of movers and shakers from the Washington, DC creative community. All planning committee members are affiliated with one or more of our sponsor or partner organizations and have put in countless hours of personal time creating this event.
Individually we are:
Are you an artist for change? Please consider participating in this event.
The Art of Change is managed by 13 all-volunteer committees consisting of personnel from partner organizations. For a complete list of committees and their responsibilities, please click here.
Each committee has assigned to it a member of the Art of Change Executive Committee in charge of being its point of contact with the outside world as well as other committees. For a complete list of committee contacts, please click here.
The Art of Change could not exist without the generous donations of time, personnel, energy, and resources from its sponsor and partner organizations. For a complete list of sponsors and partner organizations for this event, please click here.