If you happen to be on the mailing list for Artomatic, precisely 3,000 emails have told you that the five-week, eight-floor exhibition opens on Friday. Keep an eye out tomorrow, as we'll be headed to the pre-opening walk-through and will have a preview of the whole shebang for you in the afternoon. The gates officially open at noon at Capital Plaza I, 1200 First St NE, near the New York Avenue Metro. All events and exhibits are free.

>> Our must-see this weekend: Lighting to Unite at the National Cathedral. The entire building will be lit up with projections of brightly colored images by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter (who has also done this on friggin' Antarctic icebergs and Egyptian pyramids!) from sunset to midnight, Friday through Sunday. On Saturday, catch a live musical performance starting at 7 p.m. Picnics encouraged and on-site parking is free; check out the web site for more information.

>> Two fascinating shows are set to open at Civilian Art Projects tomorrow. Jason Zimmerman shows artistic grasp of all kinds of media in Feel better, longer, treading on utopian-esque themes where the artificial may be substituted for the natural, and asking if it matters. In the project space, Miami-based artist Jen Stark shows her mastery with complex patterns cut into paper. One sculpture features, literally, a million cut pieces of paper. Check them both out at the opening reception, 7 to 9 p.m.

>> Transformer takes over a stretch of Northwest this weekend. The gallery opens Here & Now, featuring site-specific installations by 17 artists both in the gallery, and down the street in the three floors of open commercial space at 1840 14th Street NW (look for the big "Here & Now" scrawled on the building). The exhibit focuses on "place, time, fragility, security and fantasy." Join an artist conversation at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Transformer, and a performance by artist Paul Shoemaker at the 1840 building. See the web site for more events during the run of the exhibit.

>> Bethesda holds its annual Fine Arts Festival this weekend in Woodmont Triangle, with 150 artists, live entertainment and surely some food that's served on a stick. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Of course, it's also Second Friday, so warm up to the festival with an Art Walk tomorrow night from 6 to 9 p.m. We recommend swinging by Gallery Neptune for the surrealist paintings of popular local artist Lisa Montag Brotman. Get a map of participating galleries and tour info here.

>> The Ballston Arts + Crafts Market kicks off its summer run this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free opening day concert will feature Exit Clov, Carol Bui, and Gist, starting at noon. The market is open every second Saturday through October.

>> The local Illustrators Club opens a show at the PEPCO Edison Place Gallery tonight, with a juried exhibit of 100 pieces drawn by local artists. Though it should be an interesting show for all viewers, folks interested in illustrating and graphic design should head on down for the reception tonight to meet the folks behind IC. 701 Ninth Street, N.W., 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Art Notes:

• Enjoy a dance performance drawing upon Haunted stories from Mount Rainer at Studio Gallery at 3 p.m. this Saturday. A reception at 3:30 p.m. follows, with a talk by award winning auther Rose Moss at 4 p.m.
• Scott Brooks shows off his freakish and sometimes heavy-handed, but also heavily detailed paintings at Long View Gallery with a reception Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m.
• Eighty-Eight DC will host Flash on Friday night from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., with animation exhibits, photography by a frequent DCist contributor, Sexy Fitsum, and tons of DJs and electronica to keep you up all night. $3, Jackie's back room.
• Touchstone Gallery opens up a few new shows: Steve Alderton is in the main gallery, with House, Garden, Wine, Friends: Images of Life, along with the brightly colored, multi-media paintings of Tory Cowles. Reception Friday, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• The Capitol Hill Arts League opens its next show, As Time Goes By with a reception Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.
• See tons of new work at the Torpedo Factory Art Center during Second Thursday Art Night, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Next Tuesday, visit Leonardo's Universe at National Geographic's Grosvenor Auditorium with author Bulent Atalay. He'll discuss Da Vinci's role as a scientist and an artist. 7:30 p.m. Get tickets online.

Image of National Catherdral courtesy the Light to Unite web site.