Howard County Arts Council & Columbia Festival of the Arts Hosts Special Reception Tonight

Tonight, June 20, 2013, the Howard County Arts Council will host a special reception in conjunction with the Columbia Festival of the Arts. The reception will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Howard County Center for the Arts and will feature three exhibits as well as an improv showcase and open artists' studios. Light refreshments will be served.

A performance by All County Improv will take place in the black box theatre beginning at 6:30 p.m. Founded in the summer of 2007 by Sally Livingston and Pam Land, All County Improv's mission is to create a dynamic 24-member improvisation team comprised of Howard County high school theatre arts students.

The featurEd Gallery exhibits are Resident Visual Artists 2013 in Gallery I, featuring recent work by HCAC's resident artists, and Beyond the Surface in Gallery II, showcasing the work of three artists - Anne Bagby, Jack Girard, and Liz Wolf - who art bridges the divide between representation and abstraction while exploring themes such as family and self-image. Both exhibits run through June 23.

A third exhibit, KINDNESS WORKS, features canvas quilts created via collaboration between the American Visionary Art Museum and students from five Howard County National Art Honors Societies as part of a civility/anti-bullying project. The quilts will be on display through July 2.

Resident Artists' studios will also be open to visitors from 7-8 p.m.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., and Sunday 12-4 p.m.

For more information on the Columbia Festival of the Arts, visit www.columbiafestival.com. To learn more about Howard County Arts Council programs and exhibits call 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visithttp://www.hocoarts.org.