Delaware Division of the Arts invests $1.4 million in the arts sector for Fiscal Year 2013

The Delaware Division of the Arts announces the awarding of $1.4 million in grants for Fiscal Year 2013 to support nearly 100 arts initiatives throughout the state. Twenty-five communities across Delaware will receive grants to support arts programming and services, education, and related marketing and promotion.

This announcement coincides with the recent release of a study by Americans for the Arts that reports Delaware’s nonprofit arts industry generates $142.3 million in annual economic activity in the state – supporting 3,868 full-time equivalent jobs and generating $9.9 million in local and state revenues.

“The dollars we invest in the arts benefit all of us, “said Governor Jack Markell. “A healthy arts environment improves our quality of life, enhances education and positively impacts our state economy.”

The Division grants support a variety of projects and programs, from storytelling for preschool reading readiness programs, to professional performances in dance, theater, and music. Delaware museums and art leagues in large and small communities alike receive support for internationally recognized collections as well as local artists and artisans.

Funding for the Division comes from the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. While the State of Delaware maintained level funding this year, the Division of the Arts experienced a nearly 5% reduction in funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, which reduced the total funds available for grants in FY2013.

“The ongoing breadth and depth of arts activity in Delaware was demonstrated with a record number of applicants in this year’s funding cycle. The quality of arts programming remains high, at a time when challenges to sustain private, public, and corporate support persist. With increased demand and decreased federal funds, the Division faced even more challenges in its funding decisions this year,” said Paul Weagraff, Division Director. “Nevertheless, we continue to be amazed at all that Delaware has to offer through the arts, and the contribution that the arts make in our lives on so many levels.”

The Division of the Arts and the Delaware Arts Alliance are in the early stages of planning an event to discuss how the results of the recent economic study can be used to make the case for strengthening support for the arts at the local, state, and national level.

A complete listing of Fiscal Year 2013 grants can be found at: http://www.artsdel.org/grants/grantawards2013.pdf.


Abstract paintings by Katie Lillard in the Mezzanine Gallery in July

Katie Lillard will present an exhibition titled Revisiting Simultaneity in the Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery from July 6-27, 2012. The Gallery, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. There will be a reception to meet the artist on Friday, July 6 from 5-8 p.m. as part of Wilmington’s Art Loop.

Katie Lillard's Blue Painting

This solo exhibition of Katie Lillard’s work will showcase paintings which capture the lavish colors and light that is all around us. The series represents the contrasts of fantasy and reality that are possessed during any one moment in time. The artist looks to create a visual experience for the viewer that embodies the sensation of dreaming.

Katie Lillard is a visual artist originally from Middletown, Delaware. She creates abstract atmospheric landscapes from her imagination in her oil paintings. Katie studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she graduated with a concentration in oil painting and has also traveled to Florence, Italy to study landscape painting. Katie currently exhibits her work in Delaware and works as an artist for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.