History & Mission

In 1980, the Howard County Council approved County Code Subtitle 8, Section 12.800 to establish and support a private, non-partisan county arts council.

In the late 1970s, the Maryland State Arts Council led a state-wide initiative to create a network of local arts agencies in order to distribute state funding designated for the arts to every corner of the state. Each county was asked to designate a local arts agency and submit a plan for awarding funds through the Community Arts Development program. At that time, Howard County was awarding grants to the non-profit arts groups through the Howard County Recreation and Parks Arts Grant Committee.

Whether a result of the Maryland State Arts Council initiative or increased pressure from the local arts community to have a separate, impartial grant-making agency for the arts (or a combination of both), the County Council added the provision in the County Code to establish an independent arts council. This action by county leaders, along with provisions for public funding to support the arts council and its grant programs, gave weight to the importance of the arts in the then rapidly growing county.

During that same time period, a group of grassroots arts advocates – made up of artists, musicians, architects, dancers, photographers, and poets –   led by Columbia residents Brenda and John Bell, got together to plant the seeds for a multi-purpose arts agency that would foster and nurture the arts in Howard County. Howard Arts United (HAU), now the Howard County Arts Council, was incorporated as a 501 C3 organization in April 1981. Its purpose was to be an “umbrella group” providing a voice for the otherwise independent people and groups interested in all the arts and furthering the opportunities Howard County could provide them for growth and success. Membership was open to all county residents and its Board of Directors was open to nominees interested in furthering HAU’s aims.

HAU applied for designation as the official arts council of Howard County and was recognized as such in 1982.   The Committee on Grants was formed to collect data about other arts grants programs throughout the country and prepared the Policies and Procedures for an Arts Grants Program report, which recommended a number of factors to include in an arts grants program that would fit the needs and resources of Howard County.   The report, which was endorsed by the HAU Board, was forwarded to Howard County Government for approval.

A major element of report was that the evaluation of grant applications should be carried out by an independent Artistic Review Panel, appointed by HAU Board but independent of it, and that the overall management of the grants program should be given to the Committee on Grants which would become a standing committee of the HAU Board. The purpose of that separation was to make sure HAU Board members and staff could not influence the awards process. Steps were also taken to eliminate any conflicts of interest by including a provision that representatives in leadership positions of applicant arts groups could not serve on the Artistic Review Panel or Committee on Grants. During its review of the report, the County Council proposed changes, namely that tax supported agencies (i.e. Howard Community College, Department of Recreation and Parks, etc.) would not be eligible for tax-supported arts grants. A compromise was reached that would allow these agencies to apply in special circumstances. Thus, the vision for an independent peer-review process was borne and has been developed further with each successive review.

After working with County officials to develop and approve its grant process and guidelines, the proposal defining the policies and procedures for administering a grants program for the arts in Howard County, was put up for public comment for a period of one year and then accepted and enacted, with Howard Arts United being permanently designated in 1984 as the agency authorized to serve as the county arts council in accordance with provisions of the Howard County Charter and Howard County Code. The grant program subsequently established has been cited for its excellence by the Maryland State Arts Council and used as a model for other county arts councils around the state.

In 1986, HAU officially changed its name to the Howard County Arts Council. It is one of 24 local county arts councils, which includes Baltimore City, that make up the County Arts Agencies of Maryland and work closely with the Maryland State Arts Council, a branch of the Maryland State Department of Commerce.

In 1987-88, its first full year as a re-grant agency, the Arts Council awarded $37,000 to 10 arts groups and six public schools. Since then, the grants program has grown tremendously. The Arts Council currently administers seven grant programs: Artists-in-Education; Baltimore City Arts & Cultural; Community Arts Development; Jim Rouse Theatre Subsidy; Mark Ryder Original Choreography; Outreach Howard; and Organizational Development, as well as, scholarships and an emerging artist performing artist competition. In FY15, the Arts Council awarded 98 grants totaling $677,900. Attendance records from organizations supported through these grants show that Howard County citizens make over 350,000 visits to their arts events annually.

In 1983, HAU established the Howard County Center for the Arts. The Center, located in a redeveloped school, is a 27,000 square foot multi-disciplinary community arts facility with two professional galleries, a black box theatre, classrooms, meeting and office space, dance studio, and artists’ studios. Artists have numerous opportunities to showcase their work, collaborate, exchange ideas and engage with the community. The Center is an important community resource where citizens of all ages and abilities can participate in the arts.

During these formative years, the Arts Council developed a number of signature programs that remain in place today: the Community Arts Development and Artist in Education grant programs; Art Maryland, Art HoCo, HoCo Open, and Youth Art Month exhibits; Resident Artist and Organization Studio programs; Cultural Arts Showcase; the annual Howie Awards for outstanding artist, arts educator, and business supporter of the arts; among others.

In 1987, Howard County Government hired consultant Joseph Wesley Ziegler to work with the Arts Council to conduct a cultural needs assessment. The assessment involved over 4,000 participants and was completed in 1989. As a follow-up to the assessment, the Arts Council worked with Zeigler to develop ArtsVision 2001, a 10-year plan for the arts. The plan was used to guide the arts in Howard County and resulted in new facilities, increased opportunities and access to the arts, growth in both organizations and programs, and the development of stronger regional partnerships.

One of the goals of ArtsVision 2001 was to create new facilities and, as a direct result of the plan, the Howard County Center for the Arts was renovated and transformed into an exciting multi-purpose arts incubator space where both artists and the public can explore the arts. Renovations at the Center were completed in 1996, and the black box theatre was opened for public use in 1998. In addition, the Arts Council, along with Howard County Government, Howard County Public School System, and numerous individuals and corporations, formed a public-private partnership to create The Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts (JRT), a $1.2 million state-of-the-art theatre in Columbia, Maryland.   The JRT complex was built as a two-story wing of the Wilde Lake High School and features a 739-seat main theatre, dance studio, choral arts room, band room, and black box instructional theatre.

Another goal was to increase regional partnerships and opportunities. To that end, Howard County Government invited the Howard County Arts Council to formalize a process for, and administer, the Baltimore City Arts and Cultural Organizations grant program. The program, established in 1992, awards operating grants to eleven key Baltimore institutions.

Another goal was to broaden educational opportunities and, in 1994, the Arts Council received a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to fund a multi-year program of extended residencies to place artists of ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds in the schools and community sites. The program culminated with a commission for a public sculpture at Thunder Hill Elementary School.   In addition, the Arts Council established its arts scholarship program in 2001 for college-bound high school seniors committed to pursuing a career in the arts.

Arts advocacy and participation were also cited as goals in ArtsVision 2001. Several new initiatives were developed by the Arts Council to inform existing audiences and reach out to new ones including arts roundtables, the county-wide events calendar, the Directory of Arts Programs and Resources, a web-site, the Fabulous 50+ Players, the Head Start in Art pre-school program, and the No Boundaries Musical Theatre Program for young adults with disabilities.

Funding was also cited as a goal in the original plan. In 1997, the Arts Council initiated the Celebration of the Arts in Howard County, a gala fundraising event held at the Jim Rouse Theatre in Columbia. With the Celebration, the Arts Council was able to increase partnership opportunities for businesses and create greater visibility for local artists and arts groups. And, to ensure the longevity of support for the Arts Council, The Future of the Arts in Howard County Endowment Fund, administered by The Community Foundation of Howard County, and the Working Capital and Reserve Fund were established in 1999.

In 2002, the Arts Council was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Columbia Association, and the Maryland State Arts Council to assess and update ArtsVision 2001. Over 1,000 people participated in the 6-month assessment process, which resulted in a 60-page report, ArtsVision State of the Arts in Howard County 2003. The report, presented to the public in September 2003, builds on the original plan’s goals and strategies and provides the community with a snapshot of the arts in 2003.   The new report was designed to serve as a planning tool for the entire arts community and those with a vested interest in the arts and to guide future arts initiatives in the county.

In addition, the Arts Council received a major grant from The Horizon Foundation to conduct a nation-wide study on arts programs that address community health and wellness issues that resulted in the 135-page report, A Study of Model Community Arts Programs. The report, published in 2002, includes in-depth descriptions and case studies of programs, additional data and findings from other sources (surveys, interviews, research, comparable U.S. counties), and recommendations on the development of future arts-based health and wellness programming in the county.

In 2003, the Arts Council initiated the Rising Star Emerging Performing Artist Professional Development Award. The award process is modeled after hit television competitions with finalists performing in front of a live audience and the audience selecting the winner. In this case, finalists are selected through a discipline-based audition process and the award recipient is selected through a written ballot process at the Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala.   The winner of the competition receives a no-strings-attached professional development award to further their career. This award helped address a long-time Arts Council goal to provide individual artist grant awards.

In 2004, the Arts Council was invited by Howard County to serve on the Merriweather Post Pavilion Citizen Advisory Committee to make recommendations on the possible purchase and renovation of the outdoor concert venue and to vet the findings of consultants Ziger/Snead, Webb Management Services, and Theatre Consultants Collaborative which resulted in the Merriweather Post Pavilion Feasibility Study in 2004 and A Business Plan for New Performing Arts Facilities in 2005.

The Arts Council marked its 25^th Anniversary in 2006 by commissioning local mosaic artist, Ginger Peloquin, to create a public sculpture in the form of a bench for the courtyard at the Howard County Center for the Arts. The artist also designed the layout for a walkway to complement the sculpture and the Arts Council initiated the Benchmark Campaign to include community members in the project by creating a courtyard and path made up of “named” bricks and colorful hand-made mosaic and ceramic tiles. The need for a formalized public art program has been cited in ArtsVision and many other community studies.

The Arts Council also nominated Howard County for the Americans for the Arts National Award for County Arts Leadership and received the prestigious honor in 2007.   That same year, the Arts Council partnered with The Community Foundation and the family of choreographer Mark Ryder to create a permanent grant fund, the Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant Program, which helped address another long-time goal to create more grant opportunities for individual artists. In addition, the Arts Council also launched the Technical Assistance Grant program to assist local arts groups with budgets under $350,000 with long-range planning and other organizational development activities critical to their growth and future success.

That same year, Head StART in ART received a National Endowment for the Arts grant and was cited as being a model early childhood arts education program. As a result, the program was expanded from a one-time residency to a full year of extended residencies in the Ellicott City Head Start Center classrooms. At the same time, the Arts Council established its on-line presence through social media and the publication of ArtBuzz, a bi-monthly e-newsletter, followed by Facebook and Twitter in 2010.

Also in 2010, the Arts Council created artRELIEF, a one-time grant program to provide local arts groups with some relief from recession-related budgetary cuts, added two new groups to the Baltimore City Arts and Cultural grant program, and established a formal partnership with Howard County Tourism to establish a community-oriented plein air event for Ellicott City.

To mark its 30^th anniversary, the Arts Council moved the Celebration of the Arts gala from The Jim Rouse Theatre to the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College in 2011.

During this time, the Arts Council was invited by Howard County and the Howard Hughes Corporation to serve on the Downtown Columbia Cultural Plan Advisory Committee to guide a community engagement process and vet the findings of consultant Lord Cultural Resources. The process resulted in the Downtown Columbia Conceptual Cultural Plan.

In 2012, the Arts Council held community focus groups as part of a 6-month strategic planning process that solidified its role as voice, champion and steward and resulted in its 2020 Vision: to be the lead organization for all things art. The Arts Council also initiated ARTsites, a temporary year-long outdoor public art exhibit that places 12 sculptures at 12 sites throughout Howard County. The goal of ARTsites is to take art outside of our gallery walls to make art more accessible to the community, to enhance and active community spaces, and to generate interest in and dialogue about public art – getting one step closer to a formal public art program.

In 2013, the Arts Council received a grant from Howard County to move its grant program on line and contracted with WESTAF to purchase its GO system. During that same year, the Arts Council created a new grant program, Outreach Howard, to encourage the 11 Baltimore City organizations receiving operating grants to produce programs IN Howard County. In addition, the Head StART in Art program was expanded to a second site – the Tubman Center.

The Arts Council received a major grants in 2014 from Howard County to explore a potential move to Long Reach Village Center, to develop community engagement projects to connect the community to the village center in creative ways, and to develop a one-time equipment grant program to assist its local grantees in the production and presentation of arts programs. During this time, the Arts Council participated in the year-long Re-imagine Long Reach public engagement process, hosted a number of community outreach projects including mosaic workshops, a Long Reach High School music residency program, and a courtyard concert series at the village center. The Arts Council also worked with a number of partners to plan a one-day community festival to reconnect the community with the village center. This partnership resulted in ARTreach, a free-family oriented arts festival that featured performances on 3 stages and hands-on activities led by 100 artists. Over 1,000 people attended ARTreach 2015.

Also during this time, the Arts Council convened key stakeholders for an arts summit about the Downtown Columbia arts and cultural district and to vet the findings of the Howard County Arts Facility Needs Assessment conducted by Webb Management Services and published in March 2015.

In 2016, the Arts Council was invited by local developer, Orchard Development, and the Howard County Housing Commission to take part in a planning process for a combined residential project and performing and visual arts center in Downtown Columbia. The Arts Council contacted potential stakeholders for Webb Management Services and served as the host for the interviews, which resulted in a business plan for the proposed arts center.

At the same time, the Arts Council hosted its second ARTreach Festival as part of its community engagement efforts at the Long Reach Village Center, 1,400 people attended.

And, to commemorate its 35^th anniversary, the Arts Council launched its newly designed website which includes a comprehensive on-line calendar of arts events in Howard County – fulfilling a long-time need of the arts community.

FY24 – FY29 Strategic Priorities

The Board identified four key priorities to support and fulfill our mission and vision through 2029:

1. Advancement – Expand public awareness, financial resources, and advocacy to advance the arts in Howard County.
2. Organizational Capacity – Build organizational capacity to strengthen HCAC’s impact in our community.
3. Community Engagement – Increase and deepen community engagement to strengthen the arts ecosystem.
4. Evaluation – Evaluate HCAC programs and services to better serve artists and audiences.

Discover all the ways we are bringing our vision to fruition. Explore our programs, get involved and join us in being a part of art.