Jessica Stephens to Display Jewelry Inspired by Landscapes in the Mezzanine Gallery in April

Jessica Stephens, Individual Artist Fellow in Crafts, will present an exhibition titled Landscapes, in the Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery from April 5-26, 2013. 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, April 5 from 5-8 p.m. as part of Wilmington’s Art Loop.

This solo exhibition of Jessica Stephens’ work will showcase a body of work influenced by the architecture of landscapes. Stephens attempts to capture the character of a rock formation or a mountainous silhouette.

The artist experiments with different materials such as coral, sterling silver, copper, and enamel. Relying heavily on line and basic geometric forms, Stephens’ intention is to create abstract and fragmented topographic studies.

A Delaware Individual Artists Fellow in Crafts, Jessica Stephens received her MFA at State University of New York, New Paltz, NY. Stephens has exhibited her work locally, regionally, and nationally.

To read an article about Jessica, visit the Division’s Individual Artist Fellowship web publication.


Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition Winners Announced

Twenty-one talented state employees and their family members, recognized for their works of art as the results of the National Arts Program®: Delaware State Employee Exhibition and Contest II, were announced on Saturday, March 2. Approximately 400 people attended the Opening Reception. Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock and Division of the Arts Director Paul Weagraff presided over the awards ceremony. Jackie J. Szafara, Executive Director of the National Arts Program®, was on hand to congratulate the winners.

In his remarks, Secretary Bullock commended the state employees and families members who contributed to the exhibition and thanked Delaware State University for this important partnership. He noted how this kind of exhibition reinforces the value of the arts and reflects the Governor’s commitment to a rich cultural environment contributing to our quality of life in Delaware.

Mr. Weagraff commented, “This exhibit allows us to see a side of our colleagues that we don’t often have an opportunity to witness in the workplace. It really heightens our awareness of how much of a role the arts play in so many lives.”

Twenty-one awards were announced in five categories – Professional, Intermediate, Amateur, Teen (13-18 years old), and Youth (12 years and under), culminating in one Best in Show. Sixteen cash prizes totaling $2,400 were awarded by the National Arts Program®. A list of winners and Honorable Mentions is below.

Two-hundred-eight employees of Delaware state agencies and their immediate family members submitted artwork for the 2013 exhibition and contest. The participating artists came from across the state (over half from Kent County) and represented 74 state agencies and 85 were returning participants.

The exhibition will be on view on in the Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware State University through March 20. Hours for viewing are Monday through Friday from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm with special hours between March 8 and 15. Visit www.artsdel.org for details.

Judges for the contest were Jennifer Gunther, Director Arts Center/Gallery, Delaware State University; Ryan Grover, Curator, Biggs Museum of American Art; Pat Staby, artist; and Steve Rogers, artist. At their discretion, the judges awarded five Honorable Mention ribbons.

The Delaware Division of the Arts is proud to be the local sponsor of The National Arts Program®, an organization established in 1982 to identify, showcase, and reward the visual artistic talent in America. The National Arts Program® currently sponsors 82 annual programs, encompassing more than 450 cities and counties within 38 states.

The award winning artwork can be viewed on Flickr. To view a complete set of all 208 art works, visit the Division’s Facebook page or view the artwork on Flickr. The image with the most likes on Facebook on March 21 will be named the “People’s Choice.”

BEST IN SHOW ($300):
Robert Palandrani
Artist Category: Professional
Wilmington

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY:
1st Place ($300)
Diane Laird
Middletown

2nd Place ($200)
Cristen Hess
Newark

3rd Place ($100)
Mindi Schultze
Lewes

Honorable Mention
Shari Dierkes
Clayton

INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY:
1st Place ($300)
Kaitlyn Malloy
Clayton

2nd Place ($200)
Mary Wagner
Frederica

3rd Place ($100)
Melanie Ferrin
Hartly

Honorable Mention
Ron Wilson
Wilmington

AMATEUR CATEGORY:
1st Place ($300)
Christopher Portante
Wilmington

2nd Place ($200)
Denise Powell
Lincoln

3rd Place ($100)
Christopher Jones
Wilmington

Honorable Mention
Lisa Lindsay
Milton

TEEN CATEGORY (13-18 years old):
1st Place ($75)
Casey Williams
Wilmington

2nd Place ($50)
Valerie Limmina
Wilmington

3rd Place ($25)
Grace Coury
Magnolia

Honorable Mention
Maylene Ferrin
Hartly

YOUTH CATEGORY (12 years & under):
1st Place ($75)
Thomas Krumrine
Magnolia

2nd Place ($50)
Carson Mears
Seaford

3rd Place ($25)
Myles Pleasanton
Dover

Honorable Mention
Ben Horenstein
Wilmington


March for the Arts in Education Month: Empowering Youth through the Arts

Highlighting the importance of the arts in every child’s education, Governor Jack Markell introduces Empowering Youth through the Arts, a series of videos that document outstanding arts programs being offered in arts organizations and cultural centers across the state.

“There is something unique about the creative arts process that empowers children to realize their potential in whatever they choose to pursue in life,” Governor Markell said. “Youth involvement in the arts stimulates, strengthens, and develops the imagination and critical thinking skills. The arts motivate and engage children in learning and help level the field for learning across socio-economic boundaries.”

Each of the programs featured in the videos is supported in part through Delaware Division of the Arts grants. These programs demonstrate the vital role that Delaware arts organizations and community centers play in providing arts experiences that complement and enhance what students receive during the school day.

To watch the other four videos, visit the Official YouTube Page for the State of Delaware at http://www.youtube.com/DelawareGovernment and select the “Empowering Youth through the Arts” playlist. Or click here to go directly to the playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCUOs10-0UsgVHugiFn3GbuF7KYqOfHDf

For more on the importance of arts in education, visit the Division’s arts education resources and links at: http://www.artsdel.org/ArtsEducation/aiepublications.shtml

Video: Christina Cultural Arts Center: Arts for All
Christina Cultural Arts Center Inc. (CCAC) is a premier community school of the arts with a mission to make affordable arts, education, multicultural, and live performance programs accessible to children, teens, and adults in a safe, family-centered environment. Programs encourage creative expression and lifelong learning; promote healthy lifestyles; build academic/social skills; support artists, and advocate for arts in schools representing lower socio-economic populations.

Video: El Centro Cultural: ¡Viva Arts!
El Centro Cultural partners with First State Community Action Agency’s La Casita after-school program to provide art education, art supplies, and bilingual teachers for a one-week summer arts camp to teach children about traditional music, dance, and art focusing on Mexico and Guatemala, and to prepare the students for presentations at Festival Hispano in Millsboro.

Video: Inner City Cultural League: Dancing and Dreaming
Founded in 1971 by Dover City Councilman Reuben Salters, The Inner City Cultural League, Inc. fulfills a need in the central Delaware community. The mission of the Inner City Cultural League, Inc. is to provide relevant cultural programs that will positively impact and improve the lives of less advantaged families–especially community youth–through the performing and visual arts that will awaken the genius within, ignite the human spirit, and create an awareness of the value of the arts in social, economic, and educational development.

Video: Rehoboth Art League: Have Art, Will Travel
In the early years of the Rehoboth Art League, founder Louise Chambers Corkran arranged for artists to work with disadvantaged children through the Children’s Beach House in Lewes. Today, in partnership with many organizations, the Rehoboth Art League sends artists throughout Sussex County to leverage the arts to enhance the quality of life for many. A special focus is working with children and elderly adults who do not have the resources to travel or take RAL classes. For many, this experience opens up a new world of opportunity for creative expression.

About March for the Arts in Education
Ten years ago, former Senator Dorinda A. Connor authored Senate Bill No. 116, designating the month of March as March for Arts in Education Month. Senator Conner envisioned a month devoted to celebrating arts education throughout the state–recognizing the critical role that the arts play in providing a well-rounded education for Delaware’s youth.


Ellen Priest to Display Paintings Inspired by Jazz in the Mezzanine Gallery in March

Ellen Priest, Individual Artist Fellow in Painting, will present an exhibition of recent work in the Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery from March 1-28, 2013. 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, March 1 from 5-8 p.m. as part of Wilmington’s Art Loop.

This solo exhibition of Ellen Priest’s work will showcase mid-sized drawings and layered paintings from two series: the ‘Up Jumped Spring’ series based on Freddie Hubbard’s lyrical jazz waltz, and the Berklee Series “Jazz: Thinking Out Loud, Reaching for Song.” The Berklee Series is the result of a joint painting/jazz project with student composers at Berklee College of Music’s elite Global Jazz Institute.

Priest’s paintings are layered relief constructions made with superimposed layers of opaque and translucent papers, cut away in some sections, collaged with additional forms. The artist listens to the music many times and studies the score to create abstract brush studies painted while the music is playing; almost “choreographing” the forms. The resulting paintings embody a multi-layered space, sometimes open, sometimes dense, depending on the specific musical subject matter, full of color and light.

Priest, a Wilmington-based artist, graduated from the Yale Divinity School, CT and from Lawrence University, WI. She has exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the region and is included in many private and public collections. To read more about the artist, visit her Individual Artist Fellowship page.


Twelve High School Students will Compete to be Named Delaware’s Poetry Out Loud State Finalist

Students from twelve Delaware high schools will participate in the Poetry Out Loud state finals at the Smyrna Opera House on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. The winner will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete in the national championship April 28-30, 2013 where $50,000 in cash prizes and school stipends are awarded.

Each of the twelve participants will recite poetry that they have selected, studied, and practiced, representing poets including Walt Whitman, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Maya Angelou. The recitations are inspiring, moving, animated, sometimes humorous, and always engaging. The 2013 participants are:

Tina Abah, Christiana High School
Kathleen Becker, Red Lion Christian Academy
Daria Chicosky, Padua Academy
Chelsea Finch, St. Elizabeth High School
Hannah Glavin, Wilmington Christian School
Kate Goorland, Ursuline Academy
Joylynn Mbua, Pencader Charter High School
Jordan McMillan, Sanford School
Pratigya Paudel, Dover High School
Idalis Stamas, Polytech High School
Zipporah Ushery, Brandywine High School
Ryan Youngdale, Mount Sophia Academy

To learn more about the individual students and insights into their reasons for participating in the program, read their biographies.

Liane Hansen, prominent American journalist and Emmy Award-winning radio personality of National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Weekend Edition Sunday,” will be the Mistress of Ceremonies. Adjudicators include The Honorable Donald A. Blakey, Linda Blaskey, Theresa Bennett, Kim Graham, and David Stradley. They bring their personal and professional experience as poets, educators, artists, actors, and directors to judge the participants on physical presence, voice and articulation, appropriateness of dramatization, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding, overall performance, and accuracy.

The Delaware Division of the Arts sponsors the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest program in Delaware schools and the state finals. Competition begins at the classroom level in the fall and culminates with the state finals each spring. Twenty-seven schools, 102 teachers and 3,035 Delaware students participated in the Poetry Out Loud program in the current academic year.

In February, a semi-final round narrowed the field to our twelve finalists. Students from AI DuPont High School, Appoquinimink High School, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Caravel Academy, Concord High School, Delmar High School, Glasgow High School, Seaford High School, St. Mark’s High School, St. Thomas More Academy, Tall Oaks Classical School, and Urban Promise High School participated in the semi-finals.

The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest competition is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. For more details about the partnership and program, click here.

Contact:
Roxanne Stanulis
Commications Coordinator
Delaware Division of the Arts
302-736-7435