For those of you wondering when Artomatic would finally be scheduled this year, we have bad news for you. Due to difficulties obtaining a venue, Artomatic is being pushed back until 2007.

Though their Web site has not yet been updated (and in fact, it’s not updated much at all — their “About” page is still gearing up for an exciting 2004 showing), those of us signed up for their newsletter received word that ongoing negotiations to secure the Marketing Center at 131 M Street, NE, have fallen through, leaving no place for the large arts festival to hawk its wares this year. The Artomatic team is determined to keep the “momentum” going, however, and is looking to run the event in both 2007 and 2008, then starting back on its biennial track.

For those unfamiliar with Artomatic, it’s a non-juried show that gives hundreds of local artists — photographers, painters, scultpers and all their ilk who’ve yet to garner the attention of gallery curator — a place to try their luck in the arts market. Some feel the tightly-packed, flea-market nature of the event is off-putting (or worse), but others love the chance see such diverse artists in one place. If you’d like to help out, contact volunteer [at] artomatic [dot] org, or stop by their meeting for new volunteers at the Warehouse Café, October 11 at 6:30 p.m.