The Frederick Arts Council advances a vibrant and cohesive arts community for the people of Frederick County and its visitors.
They foster an environment where the arts flourish in the community through grants and scholarships, arts advocacy, and links to essential resources.
FAC is responsible for large-scale programming, such as the Frederick Festival of the Arts, Sky Stage, Frederick Public Art Initiative, Art in the Park, and Frederick County’s Community Arts Development and Arts in Education grants.
They also operate and program three spaces in downtown Frederick – FAC’s Sky Stage at 59 South Carroll Street, FAC Art Center at 5 E 2nd St, and FAC’s Pop-Up Gallery at 11 W Patrick Street.
Photo Credit: Frederick Arts Council
Meet Frederick Arts Council
About Frederick Arts Council
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 area, the Weinberg Center for the Arts — a historic theatre and one of Frederick’s main cultural assets — was nearly destroyed.
A coalition of people dedicated to helping rebuild the theatre convened to promote culture at large, and this group was the origin of the Frederick Arts Council. Since then we have expanded our programs to include award-winning public art, such as Sky Stage which has won an Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Award, an NEA Our Town grant, a CODAWorx recognition, a Frederick Historic Preservation Award, and a Frederick County Sustainability Award.
It has been featured in many national publications such as The Washington Post, Design Boom, and Dwell, among others. We have won five NEA grants in the last six years including most recently $500,000 for regranting activities and were among only a hand full of awardees at this level along with Miami, LA, and Chicago.
The Frederick Arts Council continues to present the Festival of the Arts as well as Art in the Park and has expanded its portfolio of grants and scholarships.
FAC also presents art exhibits and installations as well as present three levels of events, workshops and happenings at our new Art Center, 5 East Second Street.
Photo Credit: Frederick Arts Council
Art in Frederick
From supporting arts organizations, arts businesses, and Frederick artists to providing grants for arts education in Frederick schools to welcoming the community into our spaces, Frederick Arts Council enjoys all the interactions we have with the Frederick community.
“We love the creativity of the people and businesses we get to interact with and serve throughout Frederick City and County,” said Louise Kennelly, Executive Director of FAC
The arts have a ripple effect on a community’s economy because they bring folks out to dine, park, and stay over at a hotel while they are taking in a show, festival, or exhibit. A vibrant arts scene is being understood as the cause of a strong economy rather than its outcome.
Photo Credit: Frederick Arts Council
The Unique Role FAC Plays in the Community
The FAC mission makes us unique because we advance and connect all of the arts disciplines. The vibrant arts scene is one of the defining characteristics of Frederick.
We understand that the arts drive the culture, education, economy, and everyday life of Frederick citizens. The arts are vital to the quality of life, whether you’re engaged in the arts as an audience member, patron, educator, or artist, we are your arts ally.
The Frederick Arts Council wants to be known for serving Frederick artists and the larger community with vision and ambition.
We want to contribute to tomorrow’s Frederick in an innovative way and to preserve the legacy and history of the arts here.
Over the years we have supported the community in developing creative and cultural initiatives in addition to supporting the vitality of artists and arts organizations who call Frederick home.
With our newer spaces, Sky Stage and the FAC Art Center, we are advancing our service to the community by providing performance and exhibition spaces for community groups and emerging artists.
Photo Credit: Frederick Arts Council
Coming Soon for FAC
Frederick Arts Council has some exciting events in the works including an Alma Thomas Total Immersion exhibit at FAC’s Art Center (coming in April 2022).
FAC’s Sky Stage will begin its season in May with beloved series such as Sky Stage Presents, Salsa Under the Stars, and Frederick Jazz Festival’s Summer Nights Series returning.
In the meantime, their Creative Gateways exhibit envisioning public artwork in the roundabouts and gateways of Frederick is on display at FAC’s Art Center and our Barn Art Initiative features public art on unique properties throughout the county. We are also currently creating an arch in Brunswick
Support the arts in Frederick and learn more about the Frederick Arts Council.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.