The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit “The Goldberg Variations” by Gregg Silvis

On view from November 1-27, 2019
Free opening reception on Friday, November 1, at 5 p.m.

Wilmington, Del. (October 22, 2019) – The Goldberg Variations: 32 Miniatures Based on Bach’s Keyboard Masterpiece, an exhibition of mixed media works by Gregg Silvis, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from November 1-27, 2019. The artist will host a free opening reception on Friday, November 1, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Silvis, a Newark resident, received a 2019 Fellowship in Sculpture from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

The exhibition is a series of 32 miniatures based on a composition for harpsichord by J.S. Bach, the Goldberg Variations. Silvis created an 8 x 8 inch work for each of the variations using a range of techniques and materials in the panels. The music is represented by typical musical notes along with less traditional looking dots, graphs, and, in Variation #10, symbols that reference the movie The Matrix. The installation provides a three-dimensional view of the printed music, endeavoring to capture the tiered nature of the composition.

Prior to his 30-year career as an academic librarian, Silvis received undergraduate and graduate degrees in music performance and played French horn professionally for a number of years. In the past few years, he began to pursue his long-dormant artistic impulses and retired early to pursue his artistic career full-time. “I realized that this was what I really wanted and needed to do full-time,” Silvis said. “I view it as a return to the right side of my brain.”

The Mezzanine Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.

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Contact: Dennis Lawson, Interim Communications Coordinator
302-577-8466, dennis.lawson@delaware.gov


The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. 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. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.