The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery presents Constanza (Cony) Madariaga’s exhibition, “The Knowing,” on view from February 2-24, 2024. Guests are invited to attend a Meet-the-Artist Reception on Friday, February 2 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

The title of Madariaga’s show is a reference to a Jay-Z quote that resonated with the artist. In an interview, Jay-Z said, “There’s a knowing in being an artist, there’s a knowing.” From a young age, Madariaga has possessed an unwavering belief in her identity as an artist.

Painting and drawing have always been a very personal experience for Madariaga, and she has enjoyed being able to share some of those intimate feelings in her life with others through her artwork. She said, “Through the showcased artwork, the audience is invited to explore my artistic journey and the intimate connection that defines my existence as an artist.”

The exhibition showcases the variety in Madariaga’s repertoire from portraits and still lifes to abstracts and graphic work created by lines. Plants and flowers appear in much of her work, and she explains that they are a metaphor for life. The artist works in a variety of mediums from acrylic paint to pastels, and often incorporates other mediums such as markers and watercolors into her work.

Madariaga, a resident of Delaware, is the recipient of a 2023 Emerging Fellowship in Painting from the Delaware Division of the Arts. She is also a 2023/2024 Artist in Residence at The Delaware Contemporary, where she maintains a studio.

The Meet the Artist video featuring Madariaga can be viewed on the Division’s YouTube page here: https://youtu.be/RZ1TEl2wkdA?si=MPOv5uF3nBTT7qaK

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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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.

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 2025 (September 2024 – August 2025). Applications will be submitted through the smARTDE online system and are due by 4:30 p.m. EST on Friday, March 1, 2024.

New to smARTDE? View the login instructions for smARTDE or email smARTDE@delaware.gov for assistance.

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.

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. Please see the list below for more details.

Requirement for new applicants: Organization grant applications require a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Obtaining your UEI could take up to 30 days. Read more about obtaining a UEI to begin the process today. CLICK HERE and HERE for more instructions.

In FY24, the Division of the Arts awarded 112 grants – for a total of almost $4 million – to eligible Delaware-based organizations. You can read more here.

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 $1,250 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 $1,250 to support the presentation of eligible arts-related programs throughout the state, including performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities. 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 2024 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.

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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.

Delaware students recently brought home awards from a national SkillsUSA leadership conference.

Forty-one Delaware SkillsUSA high school students joined more than 16,000 participants in the 2023 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta. Students participated in events involving construction trades, video broadcasting, graphic arts, automotive trades, and leadership skills. Four students placed in the top 10, and 11 students received Skill Point awards, which represent the pinnacle of achievement in demonstrating proficiency and workplace readiness in a student’s occupational specialty. In addition, Delaware was recognized by the National SkillsUSA office for having the largest high school membership percentage increase and the largest overall membership percentage increase for the 2022-2023 school year.

The advisers and students, who were for the majority rising juniors, returned energized from Atlanta. They are ready to engage and help grow SkillsUSA in Delaware and allow our students the opportunity to participate in the best job interview in the world.

SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. Its vision is to produce the most highly skilled workforce in the world, providing every member the opportunity for career success.

The SkillsUSA National Championships are career competition events showcasing the best career and technical education students in the nation. Through an investment from business and industry partners of about $36 million, the event occupies a space equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

Wilmington, Del. (October 7, 2022) – At its June 2022 annual board meeting, Delaware Division of the Arts Director Jessica Ball was named by Mid Atlantic Arts as a new board member for the regional arts organization.

Mid Atlantic Arts was established in 1979 to promote and support multi-state arts programming in a region that includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is one of six regional arts organizations in the United States, and works in close partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and its member state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Mid Atlantic Arts distinguishes itself through its work in international cultural exchange, model programs in performing arts touring, its knowledge and presence in the jazz field, and its support of folk and traditional arts. The organization nurtures and funds the creation and presentation of diverse artistic expression and connects people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. 

Ball was named Director of the Division of the Arts in 2021, where she oversees all aspects of managing a state agency committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Jessica brings a collaborative, progressive, transparent approach to arts leadership and administration. Adept at creating and sustaining partnerships across private, government, and creative sectors she facilitates initiatives that expand access to the transformative power of the arts and arts education. Jessica is dedicated to strengthening the cultural sector and growing the creative economy and workforce. Before becoming the Director of DDOA Jessica was the Executive Director of the Delaware Arts Alliance. There, she developed sector wide strategies to advance arts and culture. She worked with cultural, community, and civic leaders on policy and funding initiatives to ensure that the creative sector is vibrant. Jessica graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design with dual master’s degrees in Historic Preservation and Landscape Architecture Regional Planning. She has a Bachelor of Architecture from Florida International University. She spent the first part of her career in the fields of design and architecture. She is a visual artist, artisan, and co-founder of Handmade Modern Accessories–a Women and Black-owned creative business. Her diverse background gives her perspective on the importance of arts and culture’s positive impacts on communities. She volunteers on the Delaware Fund for Women’s Young Founders Committee and the Delaware MillSummit Planning Committee.

“I am thrilled to join Mid Atlantic Arts’ Board of Directors at such a critical time for the creative sector,” says Director Ball. “I look forward to advocating for arts organizations and artists in our region while ensuring that Delaware’s creative sector remains at the forefront of artistic ingenuity and innovation. Mid Atlantic Arts’ board is comprised of a diverse, talented slate of individuals looking to move the needle in our sector, and I am fortunate to be at the table working towards that same goal with them.”

To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts, visit www.midatlanticarts.org.

To learn more about the Delaware Division of the arts, visit arts.delaware.gov.

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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.

-Free one-day-only affair showcases one of Delaware’s most historic estates-

(DOVER, Del. — Sept. 27, 2022) — The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Buena Vista: A Delaware Country Estate, located at 661 S. Dupont Highway (Route 13), southwest of New Castle, Delaware, will welcome visitors for a one-day-only fall event on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Activities will include lawn games, pumpkin painting, mansion tours, and outdoor painting sessions conducted by the Sunshine Plein Air Artists. Guests should bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, and are encouraged to pack picnic lunches and cameras to capture the autumn colors at one of Delaware’s most historic estates.

Admission to the event is free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-323-4430. In case of inclement weather, the event may be postponed to the following day, Sunday, Oct. 9, during the same hours.

Buena Vista fall event schedule of activities

• Children’s games and pumpkin painting on the lawn. Guests are also invited to take photos at their leisure and to bring a picnic lunch. 10 a.m.– 3 p.m.
• Guided tours of the Buena Vista mansion. Limited to 20 participants per tour on a first-come, first-served basis. 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Two outdoor painting sessions led by the Sunshine Plein Air Artists. Limited to 20 participants per session on a first-come, first-served basis. Art supplies provided but participants must bring their own chairs. Session times to be determined

The main section of the Buena Vista mansion was built between 1845 and 1847 by John M. Clayton, United States secretary of state from 1849 to 1850 under presidents Taylor and Fillmore, and United States senator from 1829 to 1836, 1845 to 1849, and 1853 until his death in 1856. The home later became the residence of C. Douglass Buck, governor of Delaware from 1929 to 1937 and United States senator from 1942 to 1948. Buena Vista and its grounds were donated to the State by the Buck family in 1965 and now serve as a conference/event center administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the State of Delaware. The division enhances Delaware’s quality of life by preserving the state’s unique historical heritage, fostering community stability and economic vitality and providing educational programs and assistance to the public on Delaware history. The division’s diverse array of services includes operation of five museums, administration of the State Historic Preservation Office, conservation of the State’s archaeological and historic-objects collections, operation of a conference center and management of historic properties across the state. Primary funding for division programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, a federal agency. However, the contents and opinions expressed in the division’s programs and services do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Department of the Interior.