After a long hiatus, Artomatic brought the spunk back to D.C.'s art scene, reviving the city's creative heartbeat for the first time in 15 years. The 25th anniversary of Artomatic launched with fanfare inside an empty office edifice at 2100 M Street in Northwest, offering 300,000 square feet of pure, unadulterated art space. Local talent mingled with eclectic exhibits, stirring the pot of Washington's culture.

Friday's opening salvo featured a performance by Emma G, a local crooner who set the tone for a gritty, artsy celebration—as WTOP reported. Adding to the vibrant mix, Valerie Theberge and Antony Maderal showed off their art chops. Theberge, a sculptor, showcased a colorful ensemble of carved foam with fiberglass and mortar, while Maderal's large tech-salvage sculptures added a post-modern touch to the panoramic spree of creativity.

But D.C.'s rekindled affair with the arts wasn't all smooth sailing. The opening was jarred momentarily when protesters stirred up a storm, trying to bring global politics into play by interrupting Mayor Muriel Bowser's speech with cries for peace in a distant war. However, the moment passed, and Bowser's commitment to infuse downtown D.C. with local art remained unshaken, as she dubbed D.C. "the creative capital of the world" in words captured by NewsJakobsson.

A byproduct of the pandemic, the once-postponed event according to a press release from 7News, promises more than just visual art—with plans for performance, dance, film, and spoken word over the next seven weeks. It's D.C.'s own potluck of artistic expression, where the only price of admission is an open mind.

The festival is forecasted to draw the eyeballs and imagination of around 100,000 visitors by the time it wraps up on April 28. D.C. residents and tourists alike are in for a treat, as Artomatic transforms the gray lull of vacant office corridors into a kaleidoscope of local flair and creative splendor.