Date November 3, 2023
Contact: Coleen West
Phone: 410-313-2787
Email: coleen@hocoarts.org
ELLICOTT CITY, MD — The Howard County Arts Council announces the establishment of a new grant program intended to recognize the role of individual artists in Howard County’s creative eco-system and to strengthen the diversity and vitality of the Howard County arts community.
The purpose of the Individual Artist Merit and Creativity (IAM Creativity) program is to recognize, uplift, and celebrate Howard County artists and diverse art expressions and disciplines. IAM Creativity will support artists, 18 years of age and older, living in Howard County. Applications will be evaluated by an independent panel of artists and/or arts professionals with expertise and perspectives in each of the disciplines being considered. The program was developed to fulfill one of the Arts Council’s long-time strategic priorities to offer grants to individual artists.
Coleen West, Arts Council Executive Director says “Realizing this long-time dream of providing merit awards for individual artists is a significant and particularly proud moment for the Arts Council. The IAM Creativity program will complement the grant programs we already provide for organizations. We couldn’t have accomplished this goal without the special ARGOS grant from the Maryland State Arts Council to support recovery efforts for the state’s creative sector.
The IAM Creativity program will provide unrestricted funds to support the creative work of Howard County artists and recognize excellence in a broad spectrum of artistic practices, backgrounds, and disciplines. Accepting applications for two (2) disciplines each year, the IAM Creativity program will provide awards in seven different artistic disciplines over the next four years: dance, film, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. Each year, a maximum of four (4) awards, including one (1) $5,000 and three (3) $1,000 awards, will be awarded in two (2) disciplines. This year, applications will be accepted in Dance and Visual Arts disciplines.
The deadline to apply for Dance and Visual Arts is 11:59 p.m. (EST) on March 14, 2024.
In subsequent years, applications will open for the following disciplines:
Music and Film, New Media & Video in 2025.
Theatre and Literary Arts in 2026.
And Folk & Traditional Arts in 2027.
The application and further details for the FY24 Individual Artist Merit and Creativity opportunity can be found at: https://www.hocoarts.org/iam-creativity