Help us launch this year’s Rising Star as 8 performing arts finalists take the stage at the Celebration of the Arts to compete for a $5,000 cash prize that will help pave their way to stardom. Audience members will cast ballots for their favorite performance, the ballots will be tallied, and the 2025 Rising Star winner will be announced live on stage!
The Rising Stars competing at this year’s Celebration are:
- Rachel Cahoon, Musical Theatre
- Emily Tate Daniel, Classical Voice
- Danielle Delgado, Mariachi
- Kelly Dornan, Dance
- Toby Ichniowski, Classical Voice
- Robert Rocheteau, Vibraphone
- Jaylin Smith, Musical Theatre
- Lynique Webster, Musical Theatre
The 28th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County will be held on Saturday, October 25, from 6-10pm at the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College. Tickets are available online at hocoarts.org/tickets. Get yours today!
The Howard County Flag Commission’s year-long public flag design process earned a 2025 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for outstanding civic engagement. Recognized in the Civic Education and Public Information category, the initiative involved hundreds of resident submissions and over a thousandpublic votes, culminating in the adoption of a new county flag.
Designed by Ellicott City resident Esen Paradiso, the flag features gold and white arches over green and blue fields, symbolizing the county’s heritage, environment, and inclusive future. The arch represents both the Thomas Viaduct and the Chrysalis, while the gold circle reflects energy, state pride, and progress.
“This flag reflects who we are—diverse, forward-looking, and rooted in our history,” said County Executive Calvin Ball, who announced the winning design in March 2025 following a final public vote. Formed in January 2024, the Flag Commission was chaired by HoCo Arts Executive Director Coleen West and led a transparent, community-driven selection process. More details are available on the Howard County Government website.
The new flag was officially hoisted outside the County’s George Howard Building in Ellicott City for the first time during a ceremony on July 7 which included an honor guard of Howard County Fire and Police Officers as well as Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) cadets from Atholton High School. Photos from the event can be found on the County’s Flickr website.
Launched in 2023, the Individual Artist Merit and Creativity (IAM Creativity) program celebrates and supports local artists across a wide range of disciplines. Open to artists aged 18 and older residing in Howard County, the program offers unrestricted funding to help further their creative endeavors.
IAM Creativity awards $5,000 and $1,000 grants in selected disciplines each year. This year’s disciplines and awardees are:
Film/Video and New Media
- Kelli Williams – $5,000
- Chris Heady – $2,000
- Willy Conley – $1,000
Music & Music Composition
- Evan Nicole Bell – $5,000
- Diana Cantrelle McKinney – $1,000
- Junghoon Park – $1,000
- Jason Wilson – $1,000
In previous years, grants were awarded in Dance and Visual Arts (2024-25). Upcoming years will feature support for Theatre & Literary Arts (2026-27) and Folk & Traditional Arts (2027-28).
The application for the 2026-27 Theatre & Literary Arts disciplines will open
On September 1, 2025. For more information on the IAM Creativity program, visit hocoarts.org/iam-creativity.
The 28th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County will take place on Saturday, October 25 from 6–10 pm at the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College in Columbia.
This year’s Honorary Chair is Kristi Smith, President of the Maryland Region for Howard Hughes, and Terry N. Eberhardt returns as our dynamic Event Emcee.
The evening begins at 6pm with a lively two-hour reception featuring:
- an Art Auction featuring the work of local artists
- Tastings from Howard County’s top culinary artists
- Raffle baskets filled with exciting prizes
At 8pm, guests take their seats for the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition and the presentation of the Howie Awards.
Eight talented performing artists will take the stage to compete for the audience vote and a $5,000 cash prize. Between performances, we will celebrate this year’s Howie Award honorees—individuals who create, teach, and support the arts in our community. The evening concludes with the announcement of this year’s Rising Star winner!
Experience Howard County’s signature arts gala!
Tickets are available now:
$100 – includes reception and live performance in the Smith Theatre
$50 – includes reception and simulcast viewing in the Studio Theatre
Reserve your seats today at hocoarts.org/tickets or call (410) 313- 2787.
Interested in getting more involved? Explore sponsorship opportunities or sign up for volunteer roles. All proceeds support the Arts Council’s scholarships and arts education initiatives. Join us for a night of inspiration, creativity, and community celebration!
There’s still time to spark creativity this summer at HoCo Arts Summer Camp! A few exciting sessions are still open for registration, offering hands-on art adventures for students in grades K–7.
Design Masters – Session 4 AM (July 14-18)
Grades 4-7
Join us at Design Masters Camp for an unforgettable adventure in architecture and interior design!
Cut, Collage, and Paint – Session 5 PM (July 21-25)
Grades 4-7
Experiment with a variety of media and techniques such as cutting and ripping to create originals works of art based on ideation.
Little Worlds – Session 7 PM (August 4-8)
Grades 2-5
Campers will use their imagination and small motor skills to create beautiful dioramas from found objects, paper, glue, and scissors.
Summer Camp registration and more information is available at hocoarts.org/camps!
July 29 at 1pm
Join us for ARTS CHAT! Connect with local artists and arts organizations, share successes, and discuss upcoming events and programming. Register here
The Howard County Arts & Culture Plan seeks to identify and catalog the county’s existing arts and cultural assets, develop strategies to support and grow creative resources, guide future investments, and meet the evolving needs of our diverse arts communities. Learn more and complete the survey today!
To support this effort, Howard County is launching a Mini-Grant Program designed to help organizations promote the Arts & Culture Master Plan. Applicants can apply through one of three distinct pathways: Community Advocate, Community Convener, or Competition Entry.
Community Advocate: Approximately six applicants will each receive $150 and a media toolkit to share plan-related content through their networks — a minimum of six posts over six weeks (tracked via Arts Council tags).
Community Convener: Five applicants will receive $750 to help them facilitate a community conversation and provide a report on their findings to the planning team.
Open Competition Entry: Three individuals whose custom links generate the highest number of completed survey responses will win cash prizes: $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place.
Help shape the future of arts and culture in Howard County—and get rewarded for it. Learn more and apply here.
A Splash of Color at the Holi Celebration
It was a vibrant day at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods on June 1 as HoCo Arts joined the community for this year’s Holi Celebration. The event brought an explosion of color and joy, and the HoCo Arts team was thrilled to be part of the festivities.
While enjoying the day, we shared the **Howard County Arts & Culture Plan** and gathered community feedback through our public survey. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello and contribute their voices to shaping the future of arts and culture in Howard County. Take the survey today!
Stepping Into History at Patapsco Valley State Park
On June 6, HoCo Arts Executive Director Coleen West attended the ribbon cutting for a new art-meets-history installation at the Avalon Area of Patapsco Valley State Park. The installation is part of the Maryland Center for History and Culture’s Step Into History initiative, which places oversized historical picture frames in key locations across the state to celebrate place-based history.
This particular frame features the Avalon Nail and Iron Works, an important piece of Howard County’s industrial heritage. It was made possible in part by HoCo Arts’ Outreach Howard Grant Program, which supports initiatives that expand access to arts and cultural experiences for local audiences.
Visit the Avalon Area, step into the frame, and take a photo! For more information and to find other frame locations, visit https://www.mdhistory.org/step-into-history.
Artists from around the region gathered in Ellicott City the weekend of June 5-8 for Paint It! Ellicott City 2025, an annual plein air painting event. Artists set up their easels throughout Ellicott City’s historic district to capture scenes of the picturesque mill town and its unique charms and compete for cash prizes.
The Arts Council hosted a public reception on June 9 featuring the opening of an exhibit showcasing the work of 27 juried artists and the presentation of $7,200 in awards.
Juror Crystal Moll presented two Gino Awards, $1,000 each, which are sponsored by the Manelli Family and named in honor of Ellicott City artist Gino Manelli (1915-2010). The awards were presented this year to Dana Enders for Lean on Me and Oleg Shvets for History in Light.
Juror awards also went to:
- 2nd place, $750: Zhaobo Li, Red Umbrella
- 3rd place, $500: Ann Crostic, Morning Has Broken
- 4th place, $400: Andree Tullier, Waiting For Breezes
- 5th place, $300: Mark Hiles, From the River to Main St
- 6th place, $250: Nancy Freeman, Sun Steps
- Honorable Mentions, $100 each: Kathleen Kotarba, Quiet Refuge; Michael Kotarba, Eastbound View; Zhaobo Li, Rain; Therese Spadaro, Welcome to Ellicott City
The following awards were presented through the generous support of the Arts Council’s Paint It! Ellicott City partners:
- AARP Maryland’s AARP Award, $750: Oleg Shvets, Two Bridges
- Howard County Historical Society’s Best Depiction of a Historical Site Award, $500: Mark Hiles, After the Rain Stops
- Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s Best Depiction of the Patapsco Award, $500: Susan Benigni-Landis, Swinging Bridge Stroll at Patapsco Park
- Blossoms of Hope’s Best Depiction of Nature Award, $250: Ann Crostic, The Pastor’s House
- Howard County Historical Society’s Honorable Mention, $250: Andree Tullier, Patapsco Female Institute
- Ellicott City Partnership’s Best Depiction of Main Street Award, $250: Tammy Leffler, Stopping Along Main Street
- The Carole Zink Award, $100: Dana Enders, Bridge to History
A very special thank you to Paint It! Ellicott City 2025 award sponsors: The Family of Gino Manelli, AARP Maryland, Howard County Historical Society, Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Blossoms of Hope, Ellicott City Partnership, and The Family of Carole Zink.
The Paint It! Ellicott City 2025 exhibit is on display in Gallery I at the Howard County Center for the Arts through August 2. Also on display in Gallery II is No Boundaries: Unrestricted Artistry, our annual exhibit in partnership with Howard County Recreation and Parks’ Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Inclusion Services featuring work by youth and adult artists with development disabilities.
Sojourn is a sculpture made in response to artist Adam Walls’ recent move to the rural mountains of western North Carolina. Walls was inspired by the desire for a comfortable place to relax in a shaded area and enjoy some of the iconography related to the homeward callings used in this sculptural bench.
ARTsites 2024 will be on display through July 2025 at various locations throughout Howard County. Sculptures and sites are listed here.