Howard County Arts Council 

The Howard County Arts Council (HoCo Arts) manages two galleries at the Howard County Center for the Arts with over 21,000 square feet of exhibit space. The HoCo Arts gallery program was established to enhance the public's appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists.

HoCo Arts presents 11-12 exhibits per year of national, regional, and local artists, including two-person, small and large group, juried, curated, and community shows. HoCo Arts rarely exhibits solo shows.

For more information, view the General Exhibit Prospectus.

To apply, please submit the following:

1. Contact Information, including artist or curator name
2. 10-20 digital images representative of the work to be included in the exhibition. Files should be named to correspond to image list. Entries must be JPG or JPEG files, each no larger than 1 MB. If submitting time-based work, work must be submitted as .avi, .wav, .mov, or .m4a files. HoCo Arts has limited technology for use in the gallery, so any special technology needs should be addressed in the proposal. The images should be named using the “LastName_FirstName_01.jpg” format, where the numbers (01, 02, 03, etc…) correspond directly to your image script.
3. Image List which contains artist's name, title, medium, year completed, and dimensions for each piece. The image list should correspond directly to your application images. So, if you have an image named “Doe_Jane_01.jpg” then your image script should have an entry for “01” with that image’s title, medium, dimension, and date. The image script should be a Word document or PDF. Do not send Powerpoint presentations, movies of any kind, or slideshows.
4. Resume which lists education, exhibitions, awards, publications, etc.
5. Artist statement or description of your artistic goals and recent work.

Individual curators: in addition to the above, individual curators should include a brief description of the proposed exhibit and identify the artists invited to participate. Provide information describing your curatorial experience, organizational skills, and samples of written materials used to organize a previous show (letters, marketing, etc).

Organizations: In addition to the above, provide your organization's mission statement and describe your programs and services that meet that statement. Include a brief description of the proposed exhibit and state how it furthers your mission and goals.


  Questions can be directed to Jonah Brock, Exhibits and Programs Assistant at exhibits@hocoarts.org.

Howard County Youth Poet Laureate Guidelines and Application Instructions

 The Howard County Poet Laureate program, in partnership with the Office of County Executive Calvin Ball, the Howard County Arts Council, and the Howard County Poetry & Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo), will help amplify the power of youth expression, celebrate community, and promote literacy and literary arts in Howard County. 

 The Youth Poet Laureate, an honorary one-year position formally appointed by the County Executive, will act as an ambassador for literacy, arts, and youth expression and demonstrate a passion a passion for poetry and its power to connect our communities through local public readings and participation in civic events. Along with the official title, the Youth Poet Laureate will receive an honorarium of $500. 

 The next Youth Poet Laureate will serve from August 2025 through June 2026 and will receive an honorarium of $500 paid in two equal installments of $250 at the beginning and end of their term. The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) administers this program in partnership with Howard County Poetry & Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo).

 Eligibility Criteria for the Howard County Youth Poet Laureate

     The Howard County Youth Poet Laureate program, seeks young writers who are passionate about their poetry and their community. In order to be eligible to apply, you must: 

● Be a current Howard County resident, and either live in Howard County between August 2025 and June 2026 or be available to present in-person at public events in Howard County during this timeframe (for example, a resident who will be attending a college or university next year within commuting distance of  Howard County). 

● Be between the ages of 14 (and a freshman in High School) and 21 at the time of application.

● Demonstrate community engagement in the arts .

● Be the creator of original poetic work. 

HCAC and HoCoPoLitSo Trustees, Board members, and employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to apply. Former HoCoPoLitSo Bauder Youth on Board members need to have resigned from the Board at least 60 days before applying. 

 Duties of the Howard County Youth Poet Laureate

The Youth Poet Laureate shall serve as an ambassador for literacy, poetry, and youth expression by participating in 5 to 8 public and/or civic events during the 2025-26 term. Examples of Youth Poet Laureate events and related activities include:

1. Participation in National Poetry Month activities in Howard County, such as the annual Blackbird Poetry      Festival produced by HoCoPoLitSo and Howard Community College during National Poetry Month, or HoCoPoLitSo's Wilde Reading Series.
2. Participation in up to 4 readings and speaking engagements for the Howard County Executive and County Departments as determined and scheduled through HCAC in coordination with the Office of the County Executive.
3. Participation in social media activity related to Youth Poet Laureate events and projects.

4. After their term as Youth Poet Laureate is complete, at their discretion, serve on the selection panel(s) for future Howard County  Youth Poet Laureates.

To Apply

 Log Into or Create Your Submittable Account

 Once you have entered the system, please review the complete application and guidelines, which include detailed instructions. You will need to prepare digital and video work samples, a brief biography and statement about what poetry means to you, and a description of your community engagement in any aspect of the arts. In addition, you will need to secure one or two references from adults (non-family members) who know you and can speak to your community involvement and/or school activities as well as the power of your poetry. 

Applications for Howard County Youth Poet Laureate open on January 16. The deadline to submit applications is April 24, 2025.

If for any reason you are not able to submit application materials online, please contact Dana Whipkey, HCAC Grants and Special Projects Coordinator at grantsandprojects@hocoarts.org or 410.313. ARTS(2787). 

Timeline

Application opens: January 16, 2025 

Application deadline: April 24, 2025

Selection announcement: September, 2025

To View Complete Guidelines and Instructions Click Here

FY26 Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant Guidelines

General Information The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is a private, nonprofit 501c3 organization established to enrich and serve our community by fostering the arts, artists, and arts organizations. HCAC is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose members are elected to two terms.  

 Mark Ryder was an established dancer, choreographer and leader in the dance community. He danced alongside Martha Graham in the 1940s until founding the Dance Drama Duo, later called the Dance Drama Company, with Emily Frankel. Mr. Ryder went on to teach dance in the 1960s at Goddard College in Vermont before becoming chairman of the dance department for two years at University of Maryland, College Park in 1974, and retired from teaching in 1988. After moving to Howard County in 1975, Mr. Ryder also became very involved in choreographing local productions in his community. He passed away in July 2006 and is survived by his wife and family who wish to honor his legacy by offering an annual competitive grant award in the minimum amount of $500 to choreographers through the Howard County Arts Council. Mr. Ryder believed individual expression is the most important part of the creative process for both choreographer and dancer and that more is learned through being a part of the process and actively participating in it than by simply being taught the movements or viewing the final product.
 

HCAC Responsibilities 

· Develop procedures for submission and funding of proposals.

· Review and evaluate proposals for grants funds.

· Select recipients and grant awards.

 The Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant will honor his vision/philosophy. HCAC staff is available to provide technical assistance in completing grant applications. Call 410-313-2787.

Purpose of the Grants Program   • The Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant Program was  established, at the bequest of his family, to recognize individual  creative expression and to provide financial assistance to  choreographers to create a new original work.  Re-interpretation of an  existing work is NOT considered an original work.  • To broaden opportunities for artists and encourage and sustain their  pursuit of artistic excellence.  • If the project is realized, the applicant is encouraged, not required, to present the work in Howard County, live or recorded.
 

For Complete Guidelines, Click Here