Division of the Arts announces award-winning artists in its annual
Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition reception & award ceremony

Dover, Del. (March 18, 2019) – The talented state employees and their family members were recognized for their artwork exhibited at the eight annual Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition sponsored by the National Arts Program® reception and award ceremony held on Sunday, March 17. Featured guests and speakers included the First Lady, Tracey Quillen Carney and Delaware Division of the Arts Deputy Director, Kristin Pleasanton.

Twenty-eight awards were given out in five categories–Professional, Intermediate, Amateur, Teen (13-18 years old), and Youth (12 years and under). Other distinguished awards included the: Best of Show Award, Two People’s Choice Awards (calculated by most number of “likes” on Facebook and entries by email and in-person ballot votes at the Gallery), Art Education Award (up to $200 reimbursement for arts instruction and materials), and four Special Award categories. 2019 Artwork is available on Facebook and reception and award ceremony photos will be available on Flickr at the end of the week.

Below is a list of all award winners who were recognized at the 2019 reception and awards ceremony.

2019 National Arts Program Award Winners

Best of Show: Stephanie Silverman, Wilmington
People’s Choice Award (Facebook): Parker Ellis, age 6, Newark
People’s Choice Award (Ballot): Madison Barbuto, age 9, Camden
Art Education Award: Brandi Nichols, age 18, Magnolia

Stephanie Silverman, “Submerged,” Works on Paper, Wilmington

Special Awards

Special Award, Animals: Jocelyn Zonick, age 17, Newark
Special Award, Abstract: Michael Fleishman, Milford
Special Award, Landscape: Anthony Burton, Camden
Special Award, Monochromatic: Justyn Foth, Viola

Professional

1st Place: Robert Palandrani, Wilmington
2nd Place: Chad Cortez Everett, Landenberg, PA
3rd Place: David Huynh, Odessa

Honorable Mentions:
Suzanne Oliver, Wilmington
Shelley Koon, Dover
Daniel Faison, Newark

Intermediate

1st Place: Owen Napier, Wilmington
2nd Place: Bruce Wyngaard, Wilmington
3rd Place: Jacqueline Carmean, Milford

Honorable Mentions:
Brian VanDrunen, Harbeson
Rick Burrow, Camden Wyoming

Amateur

1st Place: Dominick Giroso, Felton
2nd Place: Nicole Brown, Felton
3rd Place: Kathy Joseph, Woodside

Honorable Mentions:
Briana Rodriguez, Townsend
Jake Mottola, Wilmington

Teen (13-18 years old)

1st Place: Emily Torres, age 17, Middletown
2nd Place: Sara Paulish, age 16, Dover
3rd Place: Cathryn Shahan, age 18, Clayton

Honorable Mentions:
Emily Egloff, age 14, Middletown
Allyson Johnson, age 13, Ocean View
Jahsiah Sealy, age 14, Bear

Youth (12 years and under)

1st Place: Caleb Fenton, age 10, Middletown
2nd Place: Elizabeth Dierkes, age 9, Clayton
3rd Place: Mia Ericksen, age 10, Smyrna

Honorable Mentions:
Liliana Gatti, age 7, Wyoming
Lillette Hastings, age 11, Millsboro
Maggie Wieber, age 8, Marydel

Sponsored by the National Arts Program in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals. The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition is designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.

Participants must be a current employee or immediate family member of a current employee of the State of Delaware. All entries must be the original work of the applicant and completed within the last three years. View last year’s participant artwork.

More information

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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov

Hodgson Vo-Tech senior to advance to
National Finals in Washington, DC

Smyrna, Del. (February 26, 2019) – From an initial field of 20 Delaware high school students and then twelve state finalists, Chelsea Anokye-Agyei, a senior from Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, earned the title of 2019 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Smyrna, Del. on Feb. 26. The first runner-up was Samuel McGarvey from Tall Oaks Classical School and the second runner-up was Sarah Stevenson from Milford Senior High School.

Anokye-Agyei’s final recitation, “The Albatross” by Kate Bass, earned her high marks with the judges. The full poem can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website.

For her winning presentation, Anokye-Agyei will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington with a chaperone to compete at the national championship on April 29 – May 1. Hodgson Vo-Tech High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Samuel McGarvey, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Tall Oaks Classical School will receive $200 for its school library.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

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 *2019 Delaware State Finalists

All photos should be credited with – Photo Credit: Joe del Tufo

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

Twelve Delaware high school students to compete for the state title

MEDIA ADVISORY
February 22, 2019

WHAT: Twelve Delaware high school students will participate in the state finals for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest at Smyrna Opera House. The winner of this competition will represent Delaware and advance to the National Finals in Washington, DC on April 29 – May 1, 2019, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed. This program is sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Students start arriving at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Smyrna Opera House, 7 W South Street, Smyrna, DE 19977

WHO: Finalists, Featured Speakers and Judges will be:

 

2019 Delaware State Finalists

Name	School
Emma Elliott	Dover High School
Chelsea Anokye-Agyei	Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
Sarah Stevenson	Milford Senior High School
Nadia Sheikh	MOT Charter High School
Daniel Patrick Johnson	Mount Sophia Academy
Megan Chen	Newark Charter High School
Ashton Driver	Red Lion Christian Academy
Anne Rosenthal	Sanford School
Brandon Greenlee	Sussex Central High School
Samuel McGarvey	Tall Oaks Classical School
Catherine Enslen	Ursuline Academy
Mariela Rivero	Wilmington Christian School

Speakers and judges will be:

Speakers:

Paul Weagraff, Director, Delaware Division of the Arts

J. Mack Wathen, Chair, Delaware State Arts Council

Mistress of Ceremonies:

Donna DeKuyper, Singer, Actress and Co-Owner, Hotel Blue, Lewes, DE

Judges:

Dr. Ethan Joella, English and Social Sciences Faculty, University of Delaware, Georgetown, Director, Ethan Joella Communications

Susan Kehoe, Managing Partner, Browseabout Books, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Reverend John G. Moore, Director, Philanthropy and Engagement, United Way of Delaware

Chet’la Sebree, 2019 Individual Artist Fellow – Poetry

Dr. David Teague, Professor of English, Associate in Arts Program, University of Delaware

Dr. Jesse Zuba, Assistant Professor of English, Delaware State University

Christian Wills, Former Poetry Out Loud Contestant will serve as the Prompter

Heather Morrissey, Delaware State Arts Council Member will serve as Accuracy Judge

Entertainment:

JW2, is made up of James Witherite (organ) and Jonathan W. Whitney (drums), who bring their own originals and favorites from the jazz, funk, and old-school R&B genres to life.

OTHER: Attendance at Smyrna Opera House is free and open to the public. The 2019 Poetry Out Loud Media Kit for this event is available on our website. Hi-Res photos will be available the day after the event. Use hashtags: #POL19, #iampoetryoutloud, and #DDOA30. Tag us at: @ArtsDelaware

 

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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov

Three Delaware organizations will receive $54,000 in federal grants

Wilmington, Del. (February 15, 2019) — As the only funder in the country to support arts activities in all 50 states and five U.S. jurisdictions, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that three Delaware organizations will receive $54,000 in federal grants. This is the first of two major grant announcements in fiscal year 2019 and includes three of the agency’s funding categories: Art Works and Challenge America to support projects by nonprofit organizations, and Creative Writing Fellowships. Through these grants, the National Endowment for the Arts supports local economies and preserves American heritage while embracing new forms of creative expression.

“The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Delaware Shakespeare will receive a Challenge America grant in the amount of $10,000 to support a touring production of Romeo and Juliet, with related outreach activities. Proposed guest artist Lindsay Smiling will direct the production.

“Delaware Shakespeare is honored to be a recipient of an NEA Challenge America grant which will support our 2019 Community Tour production of Romeo and Juliet,” said David Stradley, producing artistic director of Delaware Shakespeare. “Our tours, bringing professional theatre to the full spectrum of humanity in our community by traveling to non-traditional venues such as prisons, homeless shelters, and mental health facilities, have been transformative for the organization and for audiences. The national recognition and support for this program from the NEA is a welcome affirmation for the vital necessity of this work.”

OperaDelaware will receive an Art Works – Opera grant in the amount of $14,000 to support new productions of a new orchestral reduction of Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury as part of the 2018-19 festival.

“We are humbled to receive this support and incredible vote of confidence from the NEA for the fourth year in a row,” said Brendan Cooke, executive director of OperaDelaware. “This year’s award allows us to bring Derrick Wang’s wonderful opera, Scalia/Ginsburg to Wilmington, with the world premiere of a new orchestration of the work, crafted specifically for our orchestra and the magnificent Grand Opera House.”

The State Education Agency Directors of Education (SEADAE), Delaware will receive an Art Works – Arts Education grant in the amount of $30,000 to support professional development training for teachers and teaching artists using the National Core Arts Standards as the basis for assessing student learning in the arts.

“It is a pleasure to be recognized by NEA regarding the work we do in ensuring equitable access to arts instruction across the country,” said Joyce Huser, SEADAE president and education program consultant, fine arts, Kansas State Department of Education. “Through the support of the NEA, all directors of the arts in state departments of education will receive the professional learning they need to support students and teachers across the country.”

The full NEA grant descriptions follow:

Challenge America
The Challenge America category primarily supports small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

Art Works
Art Works is the NEA’s principal grantmaking program designed to support artistically excellent projects that celebrate our creativity and cultural heritage, invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, and enrich humanity.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

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: OperaDelaware, Amleto (Hamlet) Franco Faccio, Spring 2016, Wilmington

 

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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov

More than 270 state employees and their family members have registered to show artwork at Delaware State University Art Center/Gallery

Dover, Del. (February 5, 2019) – The free exhibition will be open to the public from February 25 to March 18, 2019 at the Art Center/Gallery at Delaware State University, Dover. The reception and awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m. in the Longwood Auditorium, Bank of America Building at Delaware State University. Prizes to be awarded include:

• Adult, Amateur, Intermediate and Professional: 3 – First Place Awards of $350; 3 – Second Place Awards of $250; and 3 – Third Place Awards of $150
• Youth / Teen: 2 – First Place Awards of $150; 2- Second Place Awards of $100; and 2 – Third Place Awards of $50
• A Best of Show Award of $400
• An Art Education Award of $200 for reimbursement for arts instruction and materials
• People’s Choice Award, Facebook and in-person ballot

Additional awards including Honorable Mentions will be awarded at the discretion of the judges. Awards are limited to one cash award per artist per classification.

Sponsored by the National Arts Program in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals. The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition is designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.

Participants must be a current employee or immediate family member of a current employee of the State of Delaware. All entries must be the original work of the applicant and completed within the last three years. View last year’s participant artwork.

Gallery Hours

Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 3/2 and 3/9 from noon to 4 p.m. Visitor information

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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov