On view from April 6-27, 2018
Free opening reception on Friday, April 6 at 5 p.m.

Wilmington, Del. (April 27, 2018) – Alexi Natchev, an internationally renowned artist, will show works that are a departure from his celebrated book illustrations. Some of the works were created in his native Bulgaria and are being exhibited for the first time in the U.S. The works in this show are a reflection of his experiments with various printmaking, drawing, painting and collage approaches, mixing media, materials and surfaces.

He explains, “In different visual vocabulary the artwork contemplates the same consistent themes and subject matters – the connection with the past and the unity with our surroundings, which are the focus of my artistic interest throughout the years.” Natchev is the recipient of a 2001 Delaware Established Fellowship in Works on Paper and is on the faculty of the Delaware College of Art and Design in Wilmington.

Learn more about Natchev with our YouTube Meet the Artist video series.

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

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

THE MEZZANINE GALLERY TO EXHIBIT JEAN DIVER’S
“LIVING IN MYTHOLOGY” PAINTINGS AND WORKS ON PAPER

Wilmington, Del. (April 2, 2018) – Jean Diver’s Living in Mythology will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from April 6-27, 2018. A free opening reception to meet the artist will be held on Friday, April 6 from 5-7 p.m.

Inspired by Howard Pyle, Jamie Wyeth, Gustave Klimt, and Brandywine school art, Diver creates work filled with symbolism and metaphors. Her paintings fluctuate between past and present, a pictorial convention of landscapes and abstract color fields.

In this body of work, Diver’s mythological narratives are set in romantic landscape of fall and spring – young males, a young girl, and a black pug and cat are her subjects. Her work is a mix of the romance of projecting wishes for a better future to the humor of bad luck.

Learn more about Diver with our YouTube Meet the Artist video series.

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

Image: Icarus, 2018, oil and acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 42″

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

Wilmington, Del. (July 24, 2017) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is investing nearly $3 million in more than 100 arts and community organizations that will serve Delawareans statewide with arts programming and services, arts education, and arts marketing and promotion. This first round of funding for FY2018 includes: General Operating Support, Project Support, Arts Stabilization, and Education Resource grants.

“The arts in Delaware are integral to the fabric of our communities—from Claymont to Rehoboth Beach to Seaford. We are proud to invest in arts education, arts and community development, and arts for underserved communities,” said Paul Weagraff, director of the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Grant review panels made up of Delaware artists, arts educators, arts and nonprofit organization administrators, corporate and fundraising managers, and interested community members, provided an impartial peer review of these grant applications based on established evaluation criteria, reflecting the importance of having diverse public and expert participation in the grant-making process.

“In Delaware, the arts continue to be an important economic driver—generating $149.9 million in annual economic activity and supporting over 4,000 jobs for our citizens, providing business for our restaurants and other small enterprise, and tax revenue for our state and local governments—according to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 national economic impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. In addition to the important economic impacts, the arts benefit all Delawareans from children to senior citizens across the socioeconomic spectrum, and from rural communities to the cities,” said J. Mack Wathen, chair of the Delaware State Arts Council.

The awards include:

• Sixty-one (61) arts organizations will receive general operating support.
• Twenty-six (26) community-based organizations will receive support for arts programming for children and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities; economically disadvantaged and at-risk students; individuals and family members dealing with cancer; and young children and community members from across Delaware.
• Thirteen (13) education-based partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations and artists that provide teacher training and standards-based arts learning experiences for pre K-12 students statewide, in alignment with the new Delaware Standards for Learning in the Visual and Performing Arts, will be funded.
• Seven (7) arts stabilization projects will provide support for capital improvements and repairs to facilities owned by arts organizations.

Funding for the Delaware Division of the Arts comes from the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency. In addition, the funds for capital improvements grants—provided by the Arts Stabilization Fund—are drawn from the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. A complete list of grants for the first round of FY 2018 can be found here.

GRANT BREAKDOWN BY TYPE

The Division also awards grants on an on-going basis throughout the year, including Arts Access grants, Artist Residencies, Individual Artist Fellowships, Individual Artist Opportunity grants, and TranspARTation grants. Full grant descriptions are available on the Division’s website and at the end of the release.

Interested members of the public, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders are encouraged to visit the Delaware Division of the Arts website to learn more about these programs. Notification of grant deadlines, guidelines and applications, as well as technical assistance opportunities are published in the monthly e-newsletter, Arts E-News. Please visit our website at arts.delaware.gov for more details.

GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Arts Organizations: Non-profit Delaware organizations whose primary mission is the promotion, production, presentation, or teaching of the arts

General Operating Support – support of annual operating expenses to ensure that year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Delaware. This grant category utilizes a three-year application cycle. Full applications are due every three years, with Interim applications due in the “off” years. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Stabilization – supports improvements to facilities owned (or under long-term lease) and operated by the organization. Arts Stabilization grants are funded through the Division’s participation in the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. Annual March 1 deadline.

StartUp – a comprehensive program of financial support, training, and consultation to develop and strengthen the management capacity of emerging arts organizations so that they can operate in a sustainable manner. Completion of the StartUp program is a prerequisite for emerging organizations seeking General Operating Support. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the project start date, and are reviewed as they are received, beginning on July 1 of each year. Organizations that receive General Operating or Project Support from the Division are not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline.

Community-Based Organizations: Non-profit Delaware organizations, colleges, universities, and government entities that do not have the arts as their primary mission

Project Support – supports arts programs provided by CBOs that assist in the growth of a vibrant cultural environment by encouraging the continued development of arts activities in communities throughout the state. College and university projects must be non-credit and serve the general community.  Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the project start date, and are reviewed as they are received, beginning on July 1 of each year. Organizations that receive General Operating or Project Support from the Division are not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline.

Schools: Delaware pre-K through 12 public, charter, private, and parochial schools

Artist Residency – grants for residencies with visual, literary, performing, or media artists working with students in the classroom or in professional development workshops with teachers. Rolling deadline.

TranspARTation – grants that support transportation costs for schools to travel to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order for students to attend arts performances, events and exhibits. Rolling deadline.

Arts Organizations and Schools:

Education Resource – grants to strengthen standards-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community or strengthen arts organizations’ capacity to serve as professional development resources for teaching artists and educators.  Annual March 1 deadline.

Individual Artists: Delaware residents, 18 years of age or older, not enrolled in a degree-granting program

Artist Fellowships – supports individual artists in their work as visual, performing, media, folk, and/or literary artists. Applications are received and processed by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. FY18 Masters categories are Dance, Jazz or Music. Annual August 1 deadline. Applications now open. Deadline August 1 by 4:30 p.m.

Artist Opportunity Grants – provides up to $750 to support individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Quarterly deadlines, January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

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Eighteen Delaware artists are being recognized by the Division for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 126 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 18 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Arden, Dover, Hockessin, Milton, Newark, Rehoboth Beach, 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. The work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XVII, at the Biggs Museum this summer.

“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 Masters Fellowship is open to differing artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2017, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Folk Arts or Visual 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. Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2017 Individual Artist Fellows and four Honorable Mentions.

Yolanda Chetwynd has been awarded this year’s Masters Fellowship in Visual Arts: Painting. Chetwynd is a practicing artist who has been living in Newark, Delaware since 1987. She holds an advanced painting degree from The Slade School of Fine Art, University College London as well as a Masters in Professional Studies in Art Therapy from The Pratt Institute. An award-winning painter, Chetwynd has been invited to participate in exhibitions locally, nationally, and internationally. She is also devoted to reinforcing the role of art in education. Chetwynd has worked with the Delaware Institute for Arts in Education since 1992 and has collaborated with teachers on over 100 art projects in Delaware classrooms. She was selected as one of eight regional teaching artists from the National Association of Aesthetic Education Institutes to implement a series of national training workshops and served on the team to write the Visual Arts standards for the state of Delaware. Chetwynd has previously served on the boards of directors of Delcaps and the Newark Arts Alliance.

2017 Individual Artist Fellows

Masters Award ($10,000)
Yolanda Chetwynd, Newark, Visual Arts: Painting

Established Professional Award ($6,000)
Phillip Bannowsky, Newark, Literature: Poetry
Arden Bardol, Dover, Visual Arts: Crafts
Mahasveta (Gitu) Barua, Newark, Literature: Fiction
Kathryn Canavan, Wilmington, Literature: Creative Nonfiction
A.T. Moffett, Wilmington, Dance: Choreography
Hugh Phibbs, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Works on Paper
Troy Richards, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Painting
Chad States, Rehoboth Beach, Visual Arts: Sculpture
Beth Trepper, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Photography

Emerging Professional Award ($3,000)
Jennifer Borders, Arden, Visual Arts: Sculpture
Daniel Carunchio, Wilmington, Music: Solo Recital
Larry Kelts, Newark, Literature: Poetry
Kathy Maas, Hockessin, Literature: Creative Nonfiction
Ray Magnani, Newark, Visual Arts: Photography
Terrance Vann, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Painting
Aaron Wright, Newark, Literature: Playwriting
David Yurkovich, Milton, Literature: Fiction

Honorable Mention
Dennis Beach, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Sculpture
Luigi Ciuffetelli, Hockessin, Visual Arts: Photography
Liz Dolan, Rehoboth Beach, Literature: Fiction
Linda Harris Reynolds, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Work on Paper

The next deadline for Individual Artist Fellowship applications will be Tuesday, August 1, 2017 by 4:30 p.m.

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.

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

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The Delaware Division of the Arts has opened its annual online application process to apply for grants to support arts programming and projects taking place during fiscal year 2018 (September 2017 – August 2018). Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

The guidelines and applications for all grant programs have been revised and streamlined, and a new grant category, Arts Access, was added to the list of offerings beginning this year. Past and new applicants should read the guidelines carefully and call Division staff with any questions.

“We always advise prospective applicants to contact the Division staff before submitting an application, especially for the first time,” said Paul Weagraff, Director of the Division of the Arts. “Staff members can help an applicant determine which grant program is the best fit for their planned project, and can also answer questions about the application and review process.”

A list of the Division staff members who manage the grants process, including their responsibilities and contact information, is available at the end of this release.

Below are all of the Division’s grants programs and their respective deadlines. Please visit www.artsdel.org/grants to access the full guidelines for each program and a description of the grant review process. Some organizational grants are available throughout the year on a rolling deadline basis, please see the list below for more details.

Grants for Delaware Arts Organizations

General Operating Support (GOS) – support of annual operating expenses to ensure that year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Delaware. This grant category utilizes a three-year application cycle. Full applications (Full Application Guidelines) are due every three years, with Interim Applications (Interim Application Guidelines) due in the “off” year. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Stabilization Fund (ASF) – support for improvements to facilities owned (or under long-term lease) and operated by the organization. ASF grants are funded through the Division’s participation in the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. Annual March 1 deadline.

Education Resource (EDR) – grants to strengthen school-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community or strengthen arts organizations’ capacity to serve as professional development resources for teaching artists and educators. Annual March 1 deadline.

StartUp – financial support, training and consultation to develop and strengthen the management capacity of emerging arts organizations so that they can operate in a sustainable manner. Completion of the StartUp program is a prerequisite for emerging organizations seeking General Operating Support. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – provide up to $1,000 to support the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Rolling deadline.

Grants for Delaware Community-Based Organizations:

Project Support – support of arts programs provided by CBOs that assist in the growth of a vibrant cultural environment by encouraging the continued development of arts activities in communities throughout the state. College and university projects must be non-credit and serve the general community. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – provide up to $1,000 to support the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Rolling deadline.

Grants for Delaware Schools and School Districts

Artist Residency – grants for residencies with visual, literary, performing or media artists working with students in the classroom or in professional development workshops with teachers. Rolling deadline.

Education Resource (EDR) – grants to strengthen school-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community or strengthen arts organizations’ capacity to serve as professional development resources for teaching artists and educators. Annual March 1 deadline.

TranspARTation – grants that support transportation costs for schools to travel to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order for students to attend arts performances, events and exhibits. Rolling deadline.

Grants for Delaware Individual Artists

Artist Fellowship – support of individual artists in their work as visual, performing, media, folk, and/or literary artists. Applications received and processed by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Annual August 1 deadline.

Artist Opportunity – support of individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Rolling deadline.

Grant Contact Information

Katie West
katie.west@delaware.gov or 302-577-8287

• Organization Support General Operating Support, Project Support, Arts Access, and StartUp Grants

Sheila Dean Ross
sheila.ross@delaware.gov or 302-577-8286

• Arts Education & Accessibility Education Resource, Artist Residency, TranspARTation Grants

Roxanne Stanulis
roxanne.stanulis@delaware.gov or 302-577-8283

• Artist Programs & Services Artist Fellowship & Opportunity Grants

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

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