Dear Colleagues,
October is National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM). It’s the time of the year when we encourage our national community to celebrate, promote and participate in the arts and humanities. It’s also a great time to reflect on the many contributions made to our local communities through the arts and humanities. We have seen huge economic, educational and creative gains as a result of the activity and vitality of the arts and humanities in our everyday lives, locally and nationally. At the Arts and Humanities Council, we work tirelessly to ensure that Montgomery County’s arts and humanities sector is vibrant, diverse and representative of the County’s rich cultural assets.

The recent Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts reports from Americans for the Arts are a reminder of the presence, the power and the vital contributions of the arts and humanities to our local and global economies. Findings from the reports show that there are more than 3,000 arts-related businesses in Montgomery County that employ more than 11,000 people.

Collectively, 5 percent of the total number of businesses in Montgomery County are arts-related, which is more than the national percentage of 4.6 and more than MD state’s percentage of 4.1. Our commitment to our County’s creative industries is a strong testament to our appreciation and our value of the richly rewarding and diverse human experiences and opportunities that they offer.

This commitment is especially salient as we draw closer to honoring the many contributions of our County’s arts and humanities organizations and contributors during the 2018 County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities. Now in its 17th year, these Executive’s Awards allow us to pay tribute and celebrate some of the individuals and organizations who are making a difference in Montgomery County through the arts and humanities. This year’s ceremony will take place at Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center on October 29, 2018. You can reserve free tickets for this year’s awards here!

I hope you’ll join me and communities everywhere in showcasing and highlighting the work of artists and scholars this month and every month. I’m proud of our creative industries and the work they do in helping to build a stable, profitable, and artistic economy for our local community, and I am excited to celebrate them all year long.

Onward,