County honored for support of arts

The Baltimore Sun

Howard County government has been recognized with a national award for its support of local arts and cultural organizations.

The national, nonprofit Americans for the Arts, with the National Association of Counties, chose Howard County to receive its Award for County Arts Leadership.

The award was established to recognize the role county government leaders play in funding, improving and ensuring the accessibility of arts programs.

Howard County has consistently ranked as one of the top three in Maryland for per capita spending on operating funds for the arts and for providing a stable source of funding and significant in-kind services for local arts groups, according to the award announcement.

For fiscal year 2008, the county approved an 8.2 percent increase in arts funding, reaching an all-time high of $440,100.

In a statement, Robert L. Lynch, president and chief executive officer of Americans for the Arts, called Howard County a national leader in promoting arts and cultural programs. He said in a statement that the county has "exhibited exemplary leadership in the state of Maryland by dramatically increasing funds to the arts and cultural sector while funds on the state level are declining."

County Executive Ken Ulman accepted the award last week at the National Association of Counties' annual conference in Richmond, Va.

"I am proud to accept this award on behalf of all elected county leaders, past and present," Ulman said in a statement. "If you look back, it is apparent that many of my predecessors believed, as I do, that the arts are a vital part of community life."

Much of the county's arts funding is channeled through the Howard County Arts Council, which oversees grant programs to local arts organizations, provides resources and training, and operates the Howard County Center for the Arts.

The council's executive director, Coleen West, said in a statement that for three decades the county's public officials have taken "a thoughtful and strategic approach to nurturing and sustaining the arts," resulting in a vital and diverse arts community.

She added: "Today our citizens enjoy world-class musicians, award-winning poets, equity theater productions, stunning exhibits and much, much more right here, close to home."

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