Virtual Town Hall On $3.25M Coronavirus Arts Fund Set For July 16

BETHESDA, MD — Montgomery County is seeking input from residents about the design and execution of a $3.25 million coronavirus relief arts fund that is set to launch next month.

An Arts Virtual Town Hall will be held on Thursday, July 16, at 5 p.m. Community members will have the opportunity to submit questions, participate in polls, and listen to a Zoom webinar on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the county's arts and humanities sector.

The multi-million dollar fund — approved by the County Council last week — is designed to support local artists and artistic organizations during the coronavirus-triggered economic downturn.

Of the $3.25 million, $3 million will go to arts and humanities organizations. The other $250,000 will go to individual artists.

The county's Arts and Humanities Council will provide the emergency grant funding.

Residents interested in attending the virtual town hall must register in advance. After registering, they'll receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Individuals without Internet access can dial 240-777-7803 to request call-in information.

The online discussion will be recorded and rebroadcast on Corona Montgomery Channel 10, County Cable Montgomery (CCM) Comcast/RCN 6 HD 996/1056 Verizon 30, and posted on the Council's Facebook and YouTube pages and the Arts and Humanities Council's Facebook page.

In addition to the town hall, county grants staff will be available from July 17 to 31 for one-on-one Zoom meetings to hear about specific needs and concerns. Online calendar scheduling is available at https://calendly.com/mocogrants/arts.