Howard County Arts Council Accepting Applications for Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund Grant Program

The Howard County Arts Council is accepting applications for the Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund established to assist artists and non-profit arts and cultural organizations affected by the July 30th flash flood in Historic Ellicott City. The priority deadline for applications is November 11, 2016.

During the flood, many artists with studios and with artwork in galleries in Ellicott City suffered considerable losses of artwork, equipment and studio space – negatively impacting their livelihood as well as the once vital and growing arts district in Historic Ellicott City. In response, the Arts Council established the Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund to provide financial support to these artists on their road to recovery.

The Arts Council’s priority deadline will focus on providing relief grants to individual artists who live and work in, and to non-profit arts and cultural organizations located in, the Ellicott City disaster zone. This will be followed by Howard County, and then Maryland, artists whose work was lost or damaged. A unique feature of the relief fund is that grants can be used to support the scores of artists who lost work from galleries where their artwork was on display or consignment and are not covered by insurance.

Should additional funding remain after the priority deadline, program eligibility will be expanded to include for-profit arts businesses, such as galleries, that are an essential component of the arts eco-system needed to support the work of artists and to re-establish the once vibrant arts district in Ellicott City. Re-create funds will be awarded on a rolling basis after the priority deadline.

Over 100 donors have made a pledge to the fund through a direct donation or through the sale of artwork. Many of the artists who participated in Paint It! Ellicott City 2016, a four-day plein air event hosted by the Arts Council earlier in July, contacted us expressing their affection for the old mill town and wanting to help. As a result, the Arts Council extended the Paint It! exhibit through the end of September, with participating artists donating anywhere from 20-100% of the sale of their artwork to the relief fund. The outpouring of support for the exhibit was strong – 36 paintings sold. While the formal portion of the campaign closed September 30, the Arts Council continues to accept donations. To date, $41,000 has been raised for the relief effort with major contributions coming from Mary and Earl Armiger and the Maryland State Arts Council.

Please refer to the application and guidelines, currently available at hocoarts.org, for criteria and other requirements. Hard copies are available for pick-up at the Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City, MD. Please e-mail info@hocoarts.org or call 410-313-ARTS (2787) for more information.

The Howard County Arts Council is a private, non-profit organization established to serve the citizens of Howard County by fostering the arts, artists and arts organizations.