From the 2007 Artomatic in Crystal City. Photo by Joe Flood.

After recent editions in far suburban Maryland, the sprawling, uncurated art free-for-all Artomatic returns closer to D.C. next spring.

The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) just announced that the 2017 Artomatic will he held at 1800 S. Bell Street in Crystal City. This will be the third Artomatic to take place in Crystal City, after successful runs in 2007 and 2012.

Artomatic got its start in vacant retail spaces and office-buildings-in-progress in Washington, D.C. In 1999, the very first Artomatic began in the Manhattan Laundry Buildings on Florida Avenue. The next incarnation of the group show took place in the former Sears Roebuck building on Wisconsin Avenue in Tenleytown.

The locations over the years mark a drastic change in area real estate; previous incarnations of the group show have been held on H Street NE, in NoMa, and by Nationals Stadium (disclosure: I have participated in several past events). Each of those neighborhoods has been transformed in the years since they hosted Artomatic.

The show has required a increasingly huge space to accommodate participating artists. Next year’s space in Crystal City, provided by Vornado/Charles E. Smith, amounts to 100,000 square feet. Finding that much unused space in the area for six weeks has been a challenge.

Artomatic is currently taking place in Park Potomac, Maryland until December 9, a daunting commute for culture consumers who may not have a car. But the 2017 edition will be accessible from the underground concourse of Crystal City, and be linked to the Art Underground, which already includes arts spaces for Synetic Theater, the FotoWalk Underground, ArtJamz Underground, and others. The exact dates have not yet been finalized.