Kenny Hunter – 2009, Like Water in Water, courtesy Connor Contemporary Art

Big news in the art world this week is the opening of the ginormous art event that is Artomatic on Friday. Back for another landmark year, Artomatic promises more of what you’ve come to expect from this come one come all art extravaganza. We’ll have more Artomatic coverage for you soon, so check back in with us tomorrow for a run down of the opening day.

>> Conner Contemporary Art opens two shows this Saturday with Like Water in Water, an exhibition of new sculptures and screenprints by Kenny Hunter and The Last Viking, an exhibition of new paintings by Nathaniel Rogers. Meet booth artists at the opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Idylls, a collaborative exhibit presented by The Washington Project for the Arts and the World Bank Art Program opens Friday. The show features juried works selected by Andrea Pollan and seeks to showcase how diverse a vision of an idyll can be. Opening reception at the World Bank’s Front Lobby Gallery is from 6 to 8 p.m. and rsvp to kbilonick [at] wpadc.org is required. UPDATE: The opening reception is now at capacity and is no longer taking rsvp’s.

>> Join Civilian Art Projects and artists Erick Jackson and Ken D. Ashton for an informal discussion of their exhibitions All Night Flight and The M Street Project. Hear how these exhibitions offer diverse avenues into the artists’ practices and philosophies. Tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free but rsvp to info [at] civilianartprojects.com

>> Get your indie craft fair fix at the Handmade Mart in Downtown Silver Spring this Sunday. The fair will include 50 local area vendors selling handmade goods, live music and hands-on workshops with Pyramid Atlantic 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

>> Flora: Growing Inspirations, a juried sculptural exhibition, presented by the United States Botanic Garden and The Washington Sculptors Group hosts an artists reception tonight at the Botanic Garden from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Tonight, take in some urban culture at the Torpedo Factory with a panel discussion on the “Art of the Tag,” in conjunction with the ongoing show Fresh. 7 p.m.