Howard County Arts Council Receives Funding Increase from MD State Arts Council

The Howard County Arts Council was awarded a $110,043 Community Arts Development grant for fiscal year 2015–16 from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), an agency of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts.

The FY16 funding represents a 3% increase over the previous year’s award and will be used to support the Howard County Arts Council’s local grant initiatives and educational programs at the 27,000 square foot, multi-purpose Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City. At the Center, the Arts Council offers year-round activities in the arts, including classes, visual arts exhibits, and performances in the community black box theatre. The Center also provides affordable studio space for 14 visual artists; office space for 3 resident arts groups; meeting space for 6 all-volunteer-run arts groups; and low-cost rehearsal and performance space for 30+ dance, music, and theatre groups. Over 40,000 people visit the Center each year - whether they are attending workshops, enjoying a performance, or working in their studio, the Arts Council provides rewarding experiences for citizens of all ages.

MSAC’s Community Arts Development program provides funds and technical assistance to the local arts councils of the 23 counties of Maryland and Baltimore City in order to better serve artists, arts organizations, and audiences throughout the State and to encourage local decision-making, arts activity and funding for the arts at the local level.

In addition to its grant to the Howard County Arts Council, MSAC provided a total of $139,767 in grants to the following arts organizations in Howard County:

Candlelight Concert Society, $15,000
Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, $30,728
Columbia Concert Band and Columbia Jazz Band, $2,500
Columbia Festival of the Arts, $30,000
Columbia Orchestra, $12,131
Columbia Pro Cantare, $5,951
Howard Community College-Educational Foundation for Rep Stage, $19,891
Howard County Concert Orchestra, $2,500
Howard County Poetry and Literature Society, $5,912
Jayamangala, $3,904
Kinetics Dance Theatre, $3,000
Little Patuxent Review, $2,500
Misako Ballet Company, $2,500
ShowTime Singers, $1,500
Sundays At Three, $1,750

According to the Economic Impact of the Arts in Maryland: FY2013 Report released by MSAC, Maryland’s nonprofit arts sector has a $1 billion impact on the state’s economy and supports more than 12,000 jobs. The report details how spending by the MSAC’s grantees, which include the county arts councils, and their audiences ripples through Maryland’s economy, creating and retaining jobs and generating revenues for businesses, families, and state and local governments. To review the complete report, visit www.msac.org/publications. For more information about MSAC call (410) 767-6555 or TDD/TTY (410) 333-4519 or visit the MSAC web site at www.msac.org.