Rounding Up for the Visual Arts! (VIDEO)

This month when customers buy art supplies at any of the three Plaza Artist Materials stores in Montgomery County they will have the option of rounding up their bill and donating the money to support local artists.

The effort is called Round Up for the Visual Arts! and it is launched in conjunction with the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. The fundraiser coincides with October as National Arts and Humanities month.

Plaza Artist Materials has three stores in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville. Oct. 1, County Executive Isiah Leggett stopped by the Silver Spring location to issue a proclamation about the fundraiser.

The proceeds from the Round Up for the Visual Arts! will be used to support the council’s work promoting and sustaining the arts and humanities in the region by supplementing grants awarded through its Individual Artists and Scholars category. In July the council announced more than $3.5 million in grants to Montgomery County arts and humanities organizations, individual artists and scholars through funds provided by the county.

Recent economic trend reports indicate that Montgomery County’s annual investment of $5.8 million in nonprofit arts and humanities organizations helps generate more than $204 million in total economic activity annually. This spending also supported about 4,000 full-time jobs, according to the council.

For more information about the program visit: www.creativemoco.com/roundup

About Krista Brick

Krista Brick is a multi-media journalist with Montgomery Community Media.

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