Twenty Delaware artists and three Honorable Mentions
to receive recognition
Wilmington, Del. (January 14, 2019) – Twenty Delaware artists are being recognized by the Division for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 136 Delaware choreographers, composers, musicians, writers, folk and visual artists were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, considering demonstrated creativity and skill in their art form. The 20 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Bear, Bridgeville, Claymont, Dover, Frankford, Lewes, Middletown, Newark, and Wilmington.
Awards are given in three categories – $10,000 for the Masters Award, $6,000 for the Established Professional Award, and $3,000 for the Emerging Professional Award – and Fellows are required to offer at least one exhibit or performance during the upcoming year, providing an opportunity for the public to experience their work.
“Individual Artist Fellowship grants provide the recognition and exposure that artists need to successfully promote their work,” said Paul Weagraff, director of Delaware Division of the Arts. “The financial award allows them to pursue advanced training, purchase equipment and materials, or fulfill other needs to advance their careers.”
The work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XIX, at the Biggs Museum from June 7 to July 21, 2019. Selections from Award Winners will travel to CAMP Rehoboth in August and early September and then Cab Calloway School of the Arts during September and October.
The Masters Fellowship is open to differing artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2019, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Literary and Media Arts from artists who had previously received an Established Professional Fellowship. In addition to exemplifying high artistic quality, Masters Fellowship applicants must demonstrate their involvement and commitment to the arts in Delaware and beyond. Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2019 Individual Artist Fellows and three Honorable Mentions.
Billie Travalini has been awarded this year’s Masters Fellowship in Literature: Fiction. Travalini, an internationally award-winning writer and educator, teaches English and creative writing at Wilmington University. She has taught creative writing to encourage critical thinking at youth detention centers statewide, which led to Teaching Troubled Youth: A Practical Pedagogical Guide, an award-winning book with an important message on the human condition. In addition, she has taught poetry and playwriting at various Boys and Girls Clubs. In 2014, Travalini received the Governor’s Award for the Arts for her extensive career and work in education. Travalini, co-founder and coordinator of the Lewes Creative Writers’ Conference, is currently working with Fort DuPont to have the children of Governor Bacon remembered by serving the children of today. Her passion for creative writing has led her to “promote the need to include everyone in the conversation.”
2019 Individual Artist Fellows
Masters Award ($10,000)
| Name | Community | Artistic Discipline |
| Billie Travalini | Wilmington | Literature: Fiction |
Established Professional Award ($6,000)
| Name | Community | Artistic Discipline |
| Susan Bernacik | Wilmington | Visual Arts: Works on Paper |
| Shawn Faust | Bear | Visual Arts: Painting |
| Don Foster | Dover | Literature: Fiction |
| Daniel Jackson | Claymont | Visual Arts: Photography |
| Shelley Kelley | Newark | Folk Art: Music |
| Leslie Hsu Oh | Middletown | Literature: Creative Nonfiction |
| Chet’la Sebree | Middletown | Literature: Poetry |
| IVA | Wilmington | Music: Solo Recital |
Emerging Artist Award ($3,000)
| Name | Community | Artistic Discipline |
| Jenifer Adams-Mitchell | Frankford | Literature: Fiction |
| Kevin J. Cope | Newark | Music: Solo Recital |
| Kaitlyn Evans | Lewes | Visual Arts: Crafts |
| Matthew Glick | Claymont | Visual Arts: Works on Paper |
| Geraldo Gonzalez | Wilmington | Folk Arts: Visual Arts |
| Karen Hurley-Heyman | Newark | Literature: Poetry |
| Mary-Margaret Pauer | Bridgeville | Literature: Creative Nonfiction |
| D.H. Regnier | Newark | Music: Composition |
| Gregg Silvis | Newark | Visual Arts: Sculpture |
| G.W. Thompson | Lewes | Visual Arts: Painting |
| Shannon Woodloe | Wilmington | Visual Arts: Photography |
Honorable Mention
| Name | Community | Artistic Discipline |
| Howard Eberle | Lewes | Visual Arts: Works on Paper |
| Jane Miller | Wilmington | Literature: Poetry |
| Jim Salt | Newark | Literature: Fiction |
To contact an individual artist, please email or call: Roxanne Stanulis, Program Officer, Artist Programs and Services, Roxanne.Stanulis@delaware.gov or 302-577-8283.
The next deadline for Individual Artist Fellowship applications will be Thursday, August 1, 2019 by 4:30 p.m.
About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278. Image: 2018 Award Winners exhibition at the Biggs Museum. Painting (right) by Thomas del Porte, 2018 Established Professional, Visual Arts: painting
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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov