MISSION & HISTORY

Our Mission

We advance and invest in a vibrant and cohesive arts community for the people of Frederick County and for our visitors.

The Frederick Arts Council envisions a Frederick County where the arts drive the culture, education, economy and everyday life of its citizens.

The Arts are vital to the quality of life that all of us enjoy in Frederick County. Whether you’re engaged in the arts as an audience member, patron, educator, or artist, the Frederick Arts Council (FAC) is your arts ally. Our purpose is to foster an environment where the arts may flourish in our community through grants and scholarships, robust programs, arts advocacy, and links to essential resources.

  • We See a Strong Arts Council that Supports That Vibrant Diverse Arts Scene
  • We See A Vibrant Diverse Arts Scene
  • We see Frederick as a World-Class Arts County
  • We see Frederick as a Creative Learning Laboratory
  • We See an Arts Community Capable of Speaking with a Collective Voice
  • We See the Arts as Integral in Establishing Identity and Shared Experiences
  • We See the Arts in Frederick as a Robust Economic Driver

Our programs include the following:

FAC’s History

The Frederick Arts Council was instrumental in the cultural renaissance that occurred in Frederick following the record-setting flood of 1976. Among the damage that the flood caused in the city’s downtown, the Weinberg Center for the Arts — a historic theatre and one of Frederick’s main cultural assets — was nearly destroyed. Frederick’s then-Mayor Ron Young put together a coalition of people dedicated to helping rebuild the theatre and promote culture at large, and this group was the origin of the Frederick Arts Council.

Since then, the Arts Council has supported the community in developing numerous creative projects and cultural initiatives. Over the years, this has included Frederick Fashion Week, DanceFest, the Pink Ribbon Path, Art in the Park, and one of Frederick’s most well-attended events, the Festival of the Arts. Today, the Arts Council also has expanded its portfolio of grants and scholarships, presents contemporary art installations in its own Gallery, operates an outdoor amphitheater (which is itself a public art project) called Sky Stage, and more.

Like its rapidly evolving community, the Arts Council will continue to grow and change, while keeping constant its mandate to serve the City and County’s people. Frederick is on the rise as a highly livable and uniquely creative area, and its opportunities and possibilities will only increase.


FAC's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

The Frederick Arts Council is committed to inclusivity and accessibility. The Arts Council seeks to achieve diversity and cultural equity in its leadership, partnerships, grant making and programs. The Arts Council carries out its mission with proactive efforts to embrace differences of culture, ethnicity, race, religion, international origin, sexual orientation, physical abilities, socio-economic status, age and gender. Its goals will be achieved when: • All individuals and organizations that make up our county have fair access to the information, financial resources and opportunities vital to full cultural expression; • All share the opportunity to be represented in the development of arts policy and the distribution of arts resources; • All cultures are expressed in thriving, visible arts organizations of all sizes; and, • Programming reflects the experiences of all cultures, communities, age groups and abilities.
An example of our impact Last year 75 percent of our public art commissions went to artists of color and fifty percent of our public art projects featured artists of color.

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