Vacant Office Building in DC's Golden Triangle Activates with Artomatic Event Ahead of Residential Conversion

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) announced that it will host Artomatic, a massive arts event returning to the District of Columbia after 15 years. The event begins March 8 and will activate 300,000 square feet of an empty office building at 2100 M Street NW with an eclectic art exhibition in the heart of the city's office corridor.

Post Brothers, which owns the vacant office building slated for a residential conversion, is partnering with the Golden Triangle BID to temporarily activate the property for the community in the interim. During Artomatic, artists will transform space throughout the eight-floor building to showcase their diverse array of works. This endeavor underscores the commitment of the Golden Triangle BID led by President Leona Agouridis, to infuse art and culture into a part of the city traditionally associated with corporate offices.

"Bringing Artomatic to a vacant office building is emblematic of our vision for DC's downtown and actions we're recommending in the Downtown Action Plan," Agouridis said. "More and more, we are taking existing Golden Triangle spaces and finding ways to make them shine in new ways that draw people downtown."

Artomatic President and Founder George Koch said he's looking forward to an imaginative display of visual art, performance, dance, film, spoken word, workshops,  and more, bringing even more energy and excitement to the neighborhood. Artomatic is coming back to the District following its most recent show in Crystal City in 2017. The level of interest from the arts community has been enormous, according to Koch.

"We can't wait for everyone to experience the spectacular creativity and artistry on display in the Golden Triangle as we celebrate Artomatic's 25th Anniversary," Koch said.

The effort to spark activity in the Golden Triangle aligns with Mayor Bowser's DC Comeback Plan and is part of the city's larger strategy to restore vitality to office corridors that have become quieter following the pandemic. The Downtown Action Plan Highlights unveiled last week includes several recommendations related to arts, culture, and entertainment as strategies to bring people downtown.

In recent months, the Golden Triangle has featured many arts and cultural activities, including pop-up performances by the Rorschach Theatre, Chilean dance by Ballet Folklorico, new sculptures by Valerie Theberge, lunchtime music, and other activations.

Complementing recent activities, longstanding BID programs like Golden Haiku annually highlight arts in the public realm. Soon, hundreds of haiku selected by judges in this worldwide competition will be featured on signs sprinkled throughout neighborhood tree box gardens for passersby to view. Golden Haiku will also be included as an Artomatic exhibit.

Artomatic will be open to the public from March 8 through April 28. The exhibit is free to attend, with donations accepted. Tours and space for private events are available upon request.

Operating hours are:

− Wednesday and Thursday: 5 – 9:30 p.m.
− Friday and Saturday: Noon – Midnight
− Sunday: Noon – 9 p.m.

For a full schedule of events, visit artomatic.org.

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