Montgomery County Opens 30-Day Public Comment Period for Landmark 10-Year Cultural Plan

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Public Invited to Give Feedback on Montgomery County’s Cultural Plan, a 10-Year Blueprint Prioritizing Investments in Local Arts and Culture Opportunities, Programs, and Spaces.

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is launching a 30-day public comment period for the draft of Montgomery County’s new Cultural Plan. Running from July 22 through August 22, 2026, this window invites residents to lend their voices, providing direct feedback on whether they see themselves and their communities reflected in the draft. The finalized Cultural Plan will serve as a framework for Montgomery County Government to better support arts and humanities practitioners and organizations across the county, invest in creative strategies that advance county agency and community-backed priorities, and help residents lead culturally rich lives. It is vital for residents to have a seat at the table, participate in this part of the process, and help shape a future where local arts, culture, and creativity are not only accessible, but essential to fostering belonging and resilience across communities and their collective civic lives.   

Public Comment Across Seven Languages 

To ensure every community has an equal opportunity to participate, the draft plan and its feedback forms are accessible through multiple decentralized channels starting today:

  • Digital Hub (All 7 Languages): The Executive Summary and interactive feedback questionnaires are live and accepting responses in seven languages: English, Amharic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, and Korean. Residents can review the materials and submit comments online at: www.creativemoco.com/cultural-plan/. The complete draft is also available online in English. 
  • In-Person Library Access (English/Spanish): For residents who prefer physical copies, printed versions of the executive summary are available to the public at all Montgomery County Public Library (MCPL) branches.   

“This public comment window ensures that the final roadmap truly reflects our community’s lived experiences and desires for Montgomery County’s arts and culture scene,” said Cinder Cooper Barnes, Board Chair of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. “We’re committed to answering the call for a future where all county residents feel they belong and our local cultural industry thrives.”   

What the Public is Being Asked to Review:  

During this 30-day comment period, residents are invited to reflect on the six goals of the Cultural Plan: 

  • Arts in Everything: Integrating cultural and creative experiences into county government alongside critical priorities like climate and equity.
  • Arts for Everyone: Supporting pathways to provide cultural offerings and creative experiences for residents across the county regardless of age, income, ability, geography or cultural background.
  • Culture Connecting Community: Affirming Montgomery County’s cultural diversity and fostering cross-cultural connections to bring residents of different cultural backgrounds together.
  • Places and Space for Culture: Developing facilities, reducing red tape, and utilizing currently available spaces to deliver local arts and culture programming.
  • Strong Creative Engine: Addressing ongoing funding, stability, and capacity challenges facing local individual practitioners, creative businesses, and cultural nonprofits.
  • Recognition for Art and Artists: Raising awareness of our county’s numerous cultural assets and creating a compelling case demonstrating the value of art, artists, culture and culture bearers to our county’s vitality. 

          Built on a Foundation of Community Voices 

          The draft plan works in conjunction with Thrive Montgomery 2050, the county’s 30-year general plan. Led by nationally renowned Metris Arts Consulting, the cultural planning process kicked off in October 2024 at Strathmore and built upon two years of extensive preparatory work, including a cultural asset mapping project, reflective conversations on arts and culture, and the Setting the Stage synthesis.   

          Going beyond traditional methods of gathering community input, the team utilized innovative engagement strategies that put residents in the driver’s seat and successfully gathered insight from nearly 2,500 residents. This includes a Youth Town Hall hosted in partnership with Council President Natali Fani-Gonzalez, cultural sector focus groups, board presentations, decentralized “Community Conversations,”, Cultural Preserves pop-ups led by local artist Holly Bass, and a community survey that was made available to the public online in seven languages. To learn more about the community outreach phase of our planning process, visit: www.creativemoco.com/cultural-plan/

          All public feedback submitted by August 22, 2026, will directly inform the final draft plan before the document is presented to AHCMC’s Board of Directors, Montgomery County Council, and the Montgomery County Planning Board for adoption. 

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          About the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County 

          Established in 1976, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is the county’s designated local arts agency. Our vision is to provide leadership that sustains arts and humanities organizations, artists, and scholars and inspires participation in Montgomery County’s rich cultural assets. The Public Arts Trust is AHCMC’s central program for managing, commissioning and conserving all public art on County-owned property, as well as supporting other public art projects throughout Montgomery County. Today, the County’s public art collection includes 258 outdoor sculptures and murals as well as more than 500 works on paper. For more information about AHCMC, visit www.creativemoco.com or connect with AHCMC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

          About Metris Arts Consulting 

          Metris Arts Consulting’s mission is to improve and measure cultural vitality. We believe in the power of culture to enrich people’s lives, help communities thrive, empower communities, and cultivate belonging. Our clients span the country and globe. They include government agencies, community and arts nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, and developers. We help them equitably advance cultural vitality (planning), fill knowledge gaps so that they can effectively incorporate arts and culture into their work (program development), and understand the difference their efforts make, why, and how (evaluation). We use a range of research and communication skills to advance understanding (research for field building). Our work in the realm of creative placemaking launched our practice. In our seventeen years in operation, we’ve grown and diversified our services. Our team’s experience spans government, municipal arts, nonprofit arts administration, research, evaluation, and planning.