This morning Artomatic announced that they’ll be holding court with their massive art fair in North Capitol Hill from May 9 to June 15 this year. Originally a biennial deal, Artomatic suffered from lack of a venue in 2006, causing a three year gap. But this will now be their second show in two years, after their success in Crystal City last spring.

This year’s venue is the Capitol Plaza 1 building, located at 1st and M Streets, NE, and will hold artwork on no less than eight floors, making it the biggest Artomatic ever. Located one block from the New York Avenue Metro stop on the Red line, the NoMa Business Improvement Distrist will act as the host for Artomatic this year by welcoming, judging from last year’s numbers, around 800 artists and 50,000 visitors to the neighborhood.

Artomatic has not opened the door for submissions yet, but interested parties should sign up for their newsletter to get the information when it comes out. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, artists wishing to participate usually have to pay a small fee and commit about 15 hours of volunteer time over the month-long event, but there are no juries and it is generally a first-come-first-served selection. Visual, performance, and musical artists are showcased, all the way from established fine artists to, well, crafters making hideous clay ashtrays in their spare time, making it one of the most loved and hated art events in the region. Mark your calendar!