Division of the Arts to Host 12th Annual State Employee Art Exhibition

More than 200 state employees and their family members have registered to show artwork at Delaware State University Art Center/Gallery

 

Dover, Del. (February 22, 2023) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is hosting the 12th annual Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition. The free exhibition will be open to the public from February 21 to March 12, 2023 at the Art Center/Gallery at Delaware State University, Dover. This year, more than 200 State of Delaware employees and their family members submitted artwork and will be competing for awards and cash prizes.

“From photographs to paintings and woodwork to sculpture, It’s impressive to see so much creativity and talent come together in one amazing exhibition”, says Deputy Director Kristin Pleasanton.

Visitors are invited to join Division and Art Center/Gallery staff for a special, weekend-long celebration of all this year’s participants and to see the winning artwork during the exhibition’s final weekend, Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12 from 12-4 p.m. There will be activities, snacks, and giveaways for Gallery visitors.

Full visitor information can be found here. The exhibition at the Arts Center/Gallery can be viewed during these hours:

  • Monday: Closed to the public
  • Tuesday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Saturdays, March 4 and March 11: 12-4 p.m.
  • Sunday, March 12: 12-4 p.m.

Prizes to be awarded include:

  • Adult, Amateur, Intermediate and Professional: First Place Awards of $350; Second Place Awards of $250; and Third Place Awards of $150
  • Youth / Teen: First Place Awards of $150; Second Place Awards of $100; and 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. 

2023 Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition

More information

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@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.


FY2024 Delaware Division of the Arts Grant Applications for Arts & Community-Based Organizations and Schools Now Open

For arts programming and projects taking place during
fiscal year 2024 (September 2023 – August 2024)

 

Wilmington, Del. (December 2, 2022) – The Delaware Division of the Arts has opened its annual online application process for grants for arts programming and projects taking place during fiscal year 2024 (September 2023 – August 2024). Applications will be submitted through the smARTDE online system and are due by 4:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 1, 2023.

The guidelines for all grant programs are available online at arts.delaware.gov/grant-overview. Past and new applicants should read the guidelines carefully as updates may have been made and contact Division staff with any questions. 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.

In FY23, the Division of the Arts awarded 115 grants for a total of $2.9 million to eligible Delaware based organizations.  You can read more here.

New to smARTDE? View the login instructions for smARTDE and watch the 30-minute demonstration video.

New Requirement This Cycle: Organization grant applications require a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Obtaining your UEI could take a minimum of 30 days. Read more about obtaining a UEI to begin the process today. CLICK HERE

Below are the Division’s grants programs and their respective deadlines. Please visit arts.delaware.gov/grant-overview/ 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. 

 

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 are due every three years, with Interim Applications due in the “off” years. 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. March 1 deadline.

Education Resource (EDR) – 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. March 1 deadline.

StartUp – financial support, training, and consultation to develop and strengthen the management capacity of emerging arts organizations, or those new to the Division, so that they can operate in a sustainable manner. Completion of the StartUp program is a prerequisite for emerging organizations seeking General Operating Support. Letter of intent due January 15. If LOI accepted, March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – provides 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 (CBOs):

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. 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 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. March 1 deadline.

TranspARTation – grants that support transportation costs up to $500 per field trip for schools to travel to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues 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. Download the smARTDE Instructions to learn how to log in and navigate the system. Application opens Spring 2023 with an August 1 deadline.

Artist Opportunity Grant – grants up to $1,000 in support of individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Quarterly deadlines.

 

For questions regarding any of these programs, please contact the appropriate Division contact below:


Staff Role Grant Types Phone Number
Kathleen Dinsmore
kathleen.dinsmore@delaware.gov
Organization Support General Operating Support, Arts Access and StartUp Grants 302-577-8287
Leeann Wallett
leeann.wallett@delaware.gov
Community Engagement Project Support Grants 302-577-8282
Sheila Dean Ross
sheila.ross@delaware.gov
Arts Education & Accessibility Education Resource, Artist Residency, and TranspARTation Grants 302-577-8286
Roxanne Stanulis
roxanne.stanulis@delaware.gov
Artist Programs & Services Artist Fellowship and Artist Opportunity Grants 302-577-8283
Jessica Ball
jessica.ball@delaware.gov
Director Arts Stabilization Fund 302-577-8278

 

About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in 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.

 

Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications
302-577-8280, Andrew.Truscott@delaware.gov


Delaware Division of the Arts Announces 2022 Individual Artist Fellowship Awardees

Twenty-five Delaware artists to receive recognition

Wilmington, Del. (January 13, 2022) – Twenty-five Delaware artists are being recognized by the Division for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 132 Delaware choreographers; composers; musicians; writers; and folk, media and visual artists were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, considering demonstrated creativity and skill in their art form. The 25 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Dover, Georgetown, Hockessin, Lewes, Magnolia, Middletown, Newark, Smyrna, Townsend 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. 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. Additionally, the work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XXII, at the Biggs Museum of American Art tentatively set for June 3 through July 23, 2022.

“Individual Artist Fellowship grants recognize Delaware artists for their outstanding work and commitment to artistic excellence,” said Jessica Ball, 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 Division of the Arts understands that artists have been hard hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic and was pleased to be able to allocate some additional funds to recognize more artists this year.”

The Masters Fellowship is open to different artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2022, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Literary Arts 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 2022 Individual Artist Fellows.

Linda Blaskey has been awarded this year’s Masters Fellowship in Literature: Poetry. Blaskey’s work has been chosen for inclusion in Best New Poets, 2014, and in North Carolina’s Poetry on the Bus project for National Poetry Month. She is poetry/interview editor emerita for Broadkill Review, is coordinator for the Dogfish Head Poetry Prize, and current editor for the new online journal, Quartet. She organized a presentation of Icelandic poetry for the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, and her work was included in Southern Delaware Choral Society’s presentation of Haydn: “Mass in the Time of War.” She sat on the panel, “Collaborative Publishing,” for Western Maryland Indie Lit Festival at Frostburg State University. Blaskey’s work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies, and she is the author of four poetry collections, two of which are collaborations, one forthcoming in 2022. She lives with her husband on a small horse/goat farm in Sussex County, Delaware.


2022 Individual Artist Fellows

Masters Award ($10,000)

Established Professional Award ($6,000)

Emerging Artist Award ($3,000)

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 Monday, August 1, 2022 by 11:59 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: 2021 Award Winners exhibition at the Biggs Museum of American Art. Artwork by Jack Knight, 2021 Established Professional, Visual Arts: Sculpture.

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Contact: Kaitlin Ammon, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications
302-577-8280, kaitlin.ammon@delaware.gov


Division of the Arts Announces 2021 Individual Artist Fellowship Awardees

Twenty-five Delaware artists to receive recognition

Wilmington, Del. (January 11, 2021) – Twenty-five Delaware artists are being recognized by the Delaware Division of the Arts for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 121 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 25 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Arden, Bear, Clayton, Dover, Lewes, Long Neck, Milton, Newark, Rehoboth Beach, Smyrna, 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. 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. Additionally, the work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XXI at the Biggs Museum tentatively set for June 4-July 25, 2021.

“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 Division was pleased to be able to allocate some additional funds to the Fellowship categories this year, thereby enabling the Division to recognize more artists this year.”

The Masters Fellowship is open to different artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2021, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Dance, Jazz, and Music 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 2021 Individual Artist Fellows.

Jennifer Margaret Barker has been awarded this year’s Master’s Fellowship in Music: Composition. Described as “a composer of profound sensibility”, Barker has received performances of her compositions on six continents. Her compositions have been performed by orchestras such as the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony; chamber and choral ensembles such as Orchestra 2001, Network for New Music, Vocal de Cámara Platense and Bearsden Choir; and an extensive list of international artists including Martin Jones. Recent international festivals in which her music has been featured include Malta’s Victoria International Arts Festival, Brazil’s Festival Internacional Compositores de Hoje, and America’s Festival Mozaic. Her compositions have been broadcast on American public radio (including Performance Today), Canadian radio, Hong Kong radio, Swedish radio, and the BBC. Published by Boosey & Hawkes, Theodore Presser, Southern Percussion, Vanderbeek & Imrie, and McKenna-Keddie, Barker’s compositions have been released on the Naxos, Albany, New World Records, Composers Recordings Inc., Meyer Media, and PnOVA labels.


2021 Individual Artist Fellows

Masters Award ($10,000)

Established Professional Award ($6,000)

Emerging Artist Award ($3,000)

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 2, 2021 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: 2020 Award Winners exhibition at CAMP Rehoboth. Painting (left) by Chloe McEldowney, 2020 Emerging Professional, Visual Arts: Painting; Sculpture (center) by Aaron Paskins, 2020 Established Professional, Visual Arts: Sculpture; and Work on cardboard (right) by Michael Fleishman, 2020 Emerging Professional, Visual Arts: Works on Paper.

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Division of the Arts Announces 2020 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artist Virtual Retreat

This virtual retreat will take place online over a period of four weeks from August 10 – September 2, 2020

Wilmington, Del. (July 29, 2020) – Co-sponsored and coordinated by seven state arts agencies, the 2020 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artist Virtual Retreat from August 10 through September 2, 2020 will bring together arts education professionals from across the Mid-Atlantic region to build and strengthen a regional network of highly qualified teaching artists.

Participants will have the opportunity to acquire financial tools, artistic knowledge, educational pedagogy, and self-care practices that are necessary to lead sustainable careers as entrepreneurs and creatives. Intended for teaching artists of all experience levels working in school and community settings, this retreat is designed to:

  • support teaching artists holistically, sustaining both the profession (entrepreneur) and the person (discipline expertise)
  • expand the arts education landscape to include more representation of rural, urban and suburban locations, in-school and out-of-school experiences, and diverse communities
  • support teaching artists in developing resiliency in the “new normal” of online arts education deliver
  • expand on the learnings of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artists Retreat
  • connect teaching artists with colleagues across the Mid-Atlantic region.

Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker for the Retreat is Michael O’Bryan, founder of Humanature, a consultancy working with nonprofits, businesses, local government agencies and their employees to transform how they understand and support human development, interaction, and performance.

O’Bryan is an expert practitioner and budding researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human wellbeing. O’Bryan has spent more than a decade working directly with resilient yet underserved populations — including veterans, adults in recovery, returning citizens, and families experiencing homelessness.

O’Bryan is currently an Innovation Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation and also serves as Director of Learning at The Village of Arts and Humanities, a non-profit located in North Philadelphia. O’Bryan currently serves on the boards of two philanthropic institutions, The Samuel S. Fels Fund and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and is every day inspired by exploring the science of our humanity.


Teaching Artist Virtual Retreat Agenda

All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Monday, August 10
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Video Conference Platform Tutorial
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.: Opening Keynote: Michael O’Bryan

Tuesday, August 11
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: The Power of Ritual Practices, with Nicoletta de la Brown, Vida Mágica Love (MD)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Side Hustle: How to Get Seen, Heard and Paid, with S. Rasheem, Ti Coleman and Krystal Lee (MD)

Wednesday, August 12
Session at capacity: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Teaching Artists in the Elementary Classroom: A Discussion on What Works, with Kylie Proudfoot-Payne, ArtsBank, Inc. (WV)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Art As Microphone; Empowering Student Voices through Transformative Art Education, with Matthew Adelberg, Baltimore City Public Schools (MD)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Protest Poetry, with Katie Rainey and Javan Howard, Community Word Project (NY)

Thursday, August 13
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: State Arts Agency Teaching Artist Cohort Meetings

Tuesday, August 18
Session at capacity: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Applying Indigenous African Principles in the Classroom: Decolonizing the Classroom, with Olu Butterfly, DewMore Baltimore (MD) (Limit of 40 participants)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Remote Learning for Media Arts: Case Studies from Magic Box
Productions, with Patrick Lovejoy and Danilo Randijc-Coleman, Magic Box Productions (NY)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Teaching & Presenting Theatre in a Virtual World, with Kasia Klimiuk, Our Fabulous Variety Show / IluminArt Productions (NY)

Wednesday, August 19
Session at capacity: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Putting “Community” at the Center of a Community Based Arts Organization, with Alysia Souder, Hector Morales and Phritz Napoleon, Institute of Music for Children (NJ)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Financial Wellness for Teaching Artists, with Elaine Grogan Luttrell, Minerva Financial Arts (DE)
Session at capacity: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Exploring Virtual Engagement for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, with Abby Schreer and Hayley Sheerwood, CO/LAB Theater Group (NY) (Limit of 40 participants)

Thursday, August 20
State Arts Agency Teaching Artist Cohort Meetings
Tuesday, August 25
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Creative Aging during COVID, with Julie Kline, Lifetime Arts (NY)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Putting the Focus on Photo Essays, with Randall Coleman and Lisa Liebering, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PA)

Wednesday, August 26
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Designing a Learning Story: Connecting Your Work to the Education Sector, Part 1 — Mapping Your Work, with Rob McAdams, University of Richmond (VA)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Designing a Learning Story: Connecting Your Work to the Education Sector, Part 2, with Lisa Donovan, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Rob McAdams, University of Richmond (VA)

Thursday, August 27
State Arts Agency Teaching Artist Cohort Meetings

Tuesday, September 1
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Healing Minds, Moving Bodies: Measuring the Mental Health Effects of Online Dance Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with Rachel Rugh and Julia Basso, New River Moving Arts (VA)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Teaching Artist as Leader, Entrepreneur and Futurist, with Jeff Poulin, Creative Generation (PA)

Wednesday, September 2
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Closing Plenary Panel TBA

The 2020 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artists Virtual Retreat is a cosponsored project of the Delaware Division of the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.

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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.