3 minute read
Frederick Arts Council
from Frederick Faces
The arts are a vital part of the quality of life in a community, and Frederick County is privileged to offer a wide variety of experiences to patrons, audience members, artists and educators. Serving as an ally in these efforts is the Frederick Arts Council (FAC).
Frederick was named a Top 10 arts vibrant community by the national DataArts Index Report which cited the activities of the Frederick Arts Council as central to that ranking.
The nonprofit’s origins date back to 1976 after record-breaking flood waters devastated Downtown Frederick and badly damaged one of the city’s main cultural assets — the historic Weinberg Center for the Arts. As an avenue to rebuild the theater and promote culture at large, then-Mayor Ron Young put together a coalition that would later become the FAC.
Serving as the umbrella arts organization for Frederick County, FAC is a dedicated resource and advocate for creatives as well as culturally minded community members. For more than 40 years, the group has supported Frederick in developing numerous creative projects and cultural initiatives.
One of FAC’s most popular events is the annual Frederick Festival of the Arts, a juried arts fest that brings thousands to Downtown Frederick every June.
The nonprofit also operates and manages the award-winning Sky Stage, an outdoor amphitheater which doubles as a large-scale public art project. An historic property repurposed by artist Heather Clark with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the structure now welcomes a variety of programming. Sky Stage has won an American for the Arts Public Art Network Award; a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Award; a Frederick Historic Preservation Award; a CODAWorx Distinction, and has been featured in national and international publications such as Dwell, DesignBoom and the Washington Post.
As a way to help artists and organizations that foster the arts, FAC offers a number of grant and scholarship opportunities including
Community Arts Development Grants and Arts-In-Education Grants. The FAC also sends an artist to the La NaPoule Arts Foundation in the south of France for an artist-in-residency every other year.
A number of murals brighten buildings around Downtown Frederick, thanks to FAC’s Public Arts Initiative. These include, on South Street “Healing Bouquet” by Gera Lozano featuring Maryland’s state flower and state bird, and on South Market Street Rafael Blanco’s tribute to jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie.
For those wishing to see art in a traditional setting, FAC’s downtown office building on West Patrick Street features a contemporary gallery with rotating installations. The displays are made possible through the support of the Ausherman Family Foundation. FAC also offers a Community Arts Center on East Second Street used for resident organizations, public art projects and as a venue for events and exhibitions.
For the last 15 years, FAC has partnered with the Frederick Keys to host Art In The Park inside Harry Grove Stadium at Nymeo Field. Players not only wear artist-designed, limited-edition jerseys, but they also decorate baseballs for a silent auction. Folks can also watch plein air painters provide demonstrations of their craft throughout the ballpark while children may enjoy a number of creative activities. In 2001, Maryland became the first state in the country to develop arts and entertainment districts. This designation focuses on recognized mixed-use areas of a city where arts and cultural facilities are the anchor attractions. Using the geographic lines of the historic district, Downtown Frederick is one of 28 in the state and is managed by both FAC and the Downtown Frederick Partnership. The arts remain a vital part of everyday life in Frederick County, and FAC continues to advocate, advance and invest in a vibrant and cohesive arts community for residents as well as visitors.
