Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County

06/26/2026

Preserving folktales + the practice of oral storytelling. 🎙️🌎

Produced by Rockville resident Shilpa DasGupta, Ohh Folk!! is a podcast highlighting lesser-known folktales from around the world. Each episode centers marginalized voices + stories, sharing their culture + history to foster positive cross-cultural connections.

🔗 Check out Bethesda Magazine & Bethesda Beat's full feature on Shilpa's storytelling journey. 👇

Ohh Folk!! podcast by Rockville resident Shilpa Das Gupta has shared stories from Nepal, China and more.

06/25/2026

🚨 DEADLINE EXTENSION 🚨

The submission deadline for Printed Voices has been extended to July 6. Artists who engage with public discourse + incorporate text into their printmaking practice are highly encouraged to apply!

Printed Voices is a new exhibition at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room featuring printmaking works that explore how language carries ideas + shapes collective understanding.

💵 Selected artists will receive a $250 exhibition honorarium.

📅 New deadline: July 6
🔗 Learn more in the comments. 👇

06/24/2026

🏆 Last weekend, Montgomery County honored eight outstanding African American community leaders with the 2026 Living Legend Awards.

This award recognizes individuals whose lifetime achievements have strengthened our community through leadership, public service, advocacy, education, faith, business, and civic engagement.

🎉👏 Congrats to this year's honorees:

✨ LeCount Davis
✨ The Honorable William L. England Jr.
✨ Juanita Goudy
✨ Gladys Hawkins Lyons
✨ Reverend C. Glenn Taylor
✨ Patricia Ann Tyson
✨ Millie West-Wiggins
✨ Joann Snowden Woodson

🔗 Learn more about this year's recipients in the comments.

06/23/2026

It's Primary Election Day in Montgomery County! If you haven't already, this is your reminder to vote. 🗳️

06/22/2026

Advocacy is how we protect what matters most. 🤝

Thanks to tireless arts advocacy efforts + bipartisan support, federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services was preserved for 2026.

Whether it's your local public library, a neighborhood art initiative, grants from a local arts council, or a state-funded history museum...creative + cultural experiences such as these are vital to communities large + small across America.

We must continue leaning into the power of arts advocacy for FY2027 and beyond. 🔗 Link to the full story in comments. 👇

06/18/2026

CLOSING SOON 📣 Montgomery County-based artists have one week left to apply!

AHCMC seeks submissions for Printed Voices, a new exhibition at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room exploring how printmaking engages with public discourse and how language shapes collective understanding.

Selected artists will receive a $250 exhibition honorarium.

📅 Submission deadline: June 25

Learn more in the comments. 👇

06/17/2026

One of Montgomery County's historic sites is welcoming the community back on June 20. 📜🏛️

The Pleasant View Historic Site was built in 1868 by three Black men during Reconstruction. Today, it continues to serve as a place for history, education, culture, and community connection.

Find out more about the celebration! 🔗 Link in comments.

06/10/2026

How are cultural plans created? 🤔

AHCMC CEO Suzan Jenkins, Deputy Director Joe Frandoni, and Public Art Consultant Todd Bressi will present a case study of Montgomery County's cultural planning journey at this year's Maryland Arts Summit.

Join them to discover the resources, key steps and lessons learned while developing Montgomery County's Cultural Plan. You'll leave with valuable insights to help guide your community's own cultural and strategic planning process.

👇 Learn more. 🔗 Link in comments.

06/09/2026

How do stories shape our communities? 🗣️✨

Maryland Humanities is hosting their first-ever statewide humanities conference, Centering Community Voices: Exploring Stories that Shaped Us.

Join educators, historians, librarians, museum professionals, and cultural practitioners from across Maryland to explore how storytelling preserves history, builds connection, and strengthens communities.

📅 Thursday, July 9, 2026
🕑 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
📍 UMBC Performing Arts & Humanities Building
🔗 Learn more in the comments.

06/08/2026

An untold piece of local history is now permanently honored in Takoma Park. 📜✨

Montgomery County, Md., Planning Department recently installed a historical marker at Heffner Park honoring its legacy as a vital public gathering space + community center for Black children in Takoma Park during segregation.

The marker also commemorates the leadership of the late Lee Jordon, president of the Colored Citizens Association in the area, and decades of advocacy by the city’s African American residents.

Did you know the history of Heffner Park? Let us know in the comments. 👇

Built in 1959, Heffner Park and Community Center served as a place for young Black children in Takoma Park to hang out during segregation. News4’s Jessica Albert reports.