PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2025
Contact: Coleen West
coleen@hocoarts.org
(410) 313-2787
Share your thoughts regarding the future of arts and culture in Howard County!
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – The Howard County Arts Council and the arts and culture consulting firm Designing Local are working to develop an Arts & Culture Plan for Howard County and are now seeking community feedback to help shape plan recommendations. Community members are invited to take a survey about the county’s arts and culture, available at http://www.hocoarts.org/support/arts-culture-plan/, and to share the survey with their social networks.
Highlights:
- The team developing Howard County’s Arts & Culture Plan now seeks feedback from community members regarding their vision for art and culture.
- A survey is available at http://www.hocoarts.org/support/arts-culture-plan/
- Community members will be invited to join informal and facilitated conversations at various events.
- Arts and culture organizations will be able to seek small grants that allow them to promote the plan’s engagement opportunities.
Feedback will also be collected at multiple events to which Howard County residents will be invited over the coming months (TBD). Designing Local’s nationally recognized engagement coordinator will lead a series of interviews with key stakeholders whose responses will inform themes for broader, facilitated community conversations. The planning team will also attend popular community events to speak with as many members of the public as possible.
Small grants for arts and culture organizations to connect community members to the Arts & Culture Plan’s planning process will be available; more information on this opportunity is forthcoming.
Coleen West, Executive Director of the Howard County Arts Council said, “Arts and culture are essential to the history, vibrancy, and cohesion of Howard County. They inspire us and bring people together to uplift our communities, improve our well-being, and enhance our social ties. The county has grown and changed dramatically since the last comprehensive arts and cultural plan was adopted. It is time to develop a new plan that can address these changes and set a framework for advancing arts and culture and strengthening Howard County’s position as a hub for innovation and creativity in the region. I look forward to working with as many people as possible to develop new goals, strategies and policy recommendations that align with the aspirations and insights of our diverse communities and chart a course for a sustainable and inclusive arts and culture eco-system where creativity can flourish, and everyone can participate.”
To help the Arts Council chart a course for arts and culture in Howard County fill out the survey and share the survey with your friends and neighbors on social media using the following information:
Social post
Share your thoughts about arts and culture in Howard County!
https://www.hocoarts.org/support/arts-culture-plan/
Hashtag
#HoCoArtsPlan
About Howard County Arts Council (HoCo Arts)
The Howard County Arts Council was created in 1981 to enrich and uplift our communities by advancing the arts, artists, and arts organizations for the benefit of all. We are devoted to nurturing local artists and arts organizations, furthering the public’s appreciation of the arts, and ensuring that the arts are accessible — regardless of age, ability or economic status. Our vision is a diverse and vibrant community where the arts are central to our lives. https://www.hocoarts.org/
About Designing Local
Designing Local is a certified woman-owned business, founded in 2014, that helps communities create beautiful, functional places that engage and inspire. Our firm was born of the belief that design, art, culture, history, and narrative are too often overlooked in planning processes; we are now nationally recognized for successfully weaving these elements into dozens of plans and designs. https://www.designinglocal.com/ Jasmine Metcalf jasmine@designinglocal.com