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.

###

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.

Twenty Delaware artists are being recognized by the Delaware Division of the Arts for the high quality of their artwork. The Division received work samples from 149 Delaware musicians; writers; and folk, media, and visual artists. The work samples were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals who considered the demonstrated creativity and skill in each artist’s respective art form. The twenty artists were awarded fellowships in the following categories – one, Masters; ten, Established; and nine, Emerging. Four applicants were awarded Honorable Mentions. The selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Arden, Dover, Lewes, Long Neck, Newark, Rehoboth Beach, and Wilmington.

Awards are given in three categories: $12,000 for the Masters Award, $8,000 for the Established Professional Award, and $5,000 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.

“Individual Artist Fellowship grants recognize Delaware artists for their outstanding work and commitment to artistic excellence,” said Jessica Ball, director of the 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 different artistic disciplines each year. For FY 2024, 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.

Mark Hagerty is the DDOA FY 2024 Master Fellow in the field of Music: Composition. Hagerty is an award-winning, highly individualistic composer who pursued classical training as an instrumentalist, singer, and composer and then determined his own path, outside of any tradition or institution. His music has found enthusiastic audiences from Carnegie Hall to Iceland to Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro. While much of his work is inspired by theoretical physics and chaotic systems, he is increasingly dedicated to using music in the service of social change, including ongoing collaboration with the urban spoken-word Twin Poets, Delaware’s poets laureate.

Hagerty studied composition at Oberlin and Brandeis. Early in his career, he was awarded the prestigious Joseph H. Bearn’s Prize from Columbia University for his String Quartet: Formations. He received a past Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts for The Realm of Possibility, a multi-movement piano work of flexible form, the recording of which received 5-star ratings in Fanfare for its “revelatory new sounds,” “elements that are by turns dramatic, amusing, thrilling, and lovely,” and its “plateaux of great beauty.”

Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts FY 2024 Individual Artist Fellows:

Masters Fellows

Mark Hagerty, Music: Composition, Wilmington

Established Fellows

Maya Belardo, Jazz: Performance, Wilmington

David Burslem, Visual Arts: Sculpture, Arden

Lori Crawford, Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary, Dover

Richard Hill Jr., Jazz: Composition, Wilmington

Shakira Hunt, Visual Arts: Photography, Wilmington

Michael Kardos, Literature: Fiction, Rehoboth Beach

Victor Letonoff, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Lewes

Rebecca Raubacher, Visual Arts: Painting, Rehoboth Beach

L.J. Sysko, Literature: Poetry, Wilmington

Trebs Thompson, Visual Arts: Crafts, Newark

Emerging Fellows

Doug Cannon (Pultixima), Music: Composition, Wilmington

Samantha Facciolo, Literature: Fiction, Long Neck

Brandan Henry, Visual Arts: Works on Paper, Wilmington

Aaron Hoffer, Visual Arts: Painting, Dover

Mariano Mallia (Di Gabriele), Music: Contemporary Performance, Wilmington

Joyce Enzor Maust, Literature: Poetry, Dover

Jennifer Morrell, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Wilmington

M. Amber Spivey, Dance: Choreography, Newark

Julieta Zavala, Folk Art: Visual Arts, Newark

Honorable Mentions

Kari Ebert, Established, Literature: Poetry, Dover

Bronwen Hazlett, Established, Visual Arts: Photography, Dover

Virginia Lockman, Emerging, Visual Arts: Photography, Wilmington

Michael Tanis, Emerging, Visual Arts: Sculpture, Wilmington

—

To contact an individual artist, please email or call Roxanne Stanulis, Program Officer, Artist Programs and Services at Roxanne.Stanulis@delaware.gov or 302-577-8283.

The next deadline for the FY 2025 Individual Artist Fellowship applications will be Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

###

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.

 

 

Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock has suspended the Delaware certified massage technician license of Robert D. Leech for engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with massage clients.

In making this determination, Secretary Bullock considered a complaint filed by the Delaware Department of Justice. The complaint states that Mr. Leech used his position to impose unwelcome sexual acts upon numerous clients. Four victims filed reports with the Delaware State Police following the incidents. Additionally, Mr. Leech engaged in operating an unlicensed massage establishment.

The order suspending Mr. Leech’s license was signed by the secretary on December 29, 2023, with the concurrence of the president of the Delaware Board of Massage and Bodywork.

Delaware Code Title 24 enables a temporary suspension pending a hearing to be issued upon the written order of the Secretary of State if the activity of the licensee presents a clear and immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare.

The suspension of Mr. Leech will remain in effect for a period of 60 days, during which time disciplinary hearings will be held or the final disposition for this individual will take place. As the result of a hearing, the Board of Massage and Bodywork has the authority to impose disciplinary sanctions up to and including revocation of a practitioner’s license.

The licensure status of Mr. Leech has been updated on the Division of Professional Regulation’s online license verification service. Documentation related to this suspension also may be viewed at this site.

A copy of the suspension order can be found here.

The Compass Grant is a brand new grant program from the Delaware Department of State that helps Delaware small businesses navigate selling their products or services around the world.

 

Compass Grant Informational Webinar

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 10:00 AM

 

Are you seeking financial support to help your organization grow your sales overseas? Join us for the Compass Grant Informational Webinar, which will provide you with essential insights into the brand-new Compass Grant, guiding you through the application process and eligibility criteria. The Export Delaware team will answer your questions and help you navigate the grant with confidence. Don’t miss the opportunity to chart your course toward obtaining the funding you need to expand around the globe!

 

Register Here

 

About the Compass Grant

Delaware small businesses may apply for a Compass Grant to support international travel or business development activities. This grant will have greater flexibility than previous programs. Compass grant funds can be used to reimburse up to 50 percent of all pre-approved, eligible, international marketing expenses, up to a maximum of $10,000 per fiscal year, per company.

This grant funding may be used to support international marketing efforts such as:

• Booth fees for exhibiting at a tradeshow overseas
• Travel expenses (hotel and airfare) for visiting potential clients or distributors in another country
• Fees to work with the US Commercial Service on International Partner Search
• Fees associated with obtaining your CE Mark
• Expenses for translating your product marketing material into another language
• Expenses for optimizing and localizing your website for a foreign market
• And much more ….

 

Who Should Attend

This webinar is appropriate for:

• Any manufacturer or professional services provider interested in learning more about increasing their sales to other countries.
• Current exporters looking for additional funding to increase their sales.

If you’re not sure if you qualify, join us on the webinar to find out! You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions specific to your company.

 

Register Here

 

About our Speaker

Beth Pomper
Director, International Business Development
Export Delaware

Beth Pomper is an international marketing and sales professional with 30 years of progressive leadership experience in support of global business activities. She is responsible for the Strategic Export Plan for the State of Delaware and has worked to implement it since 2014. Beth has established Delaware’s global representative network, with 12 foreign offices servicing 50 countries. She has assisted nearly 100 Delaware companies launch and expand their export sales, generating over $375 million in business and creating nearly 100 jobs in the state.

 

About Export Delaware

Export Delaware is an initiative of the Delaware Department of State. We are the State’s official export resource for Delaware’s small and medium-sized businesses. We are consistently ranked among the top state export programs nationally in terms of results for our companies. If you are a new exporter or want to explore new markets, we can help you get started.

Export Delaware assists Delaware companies that seek to export their products and services. Our experienced staff provides on-site guidance to businesses that are looking to explore export opportunities or to expand their current export activities to new markets.

Some of the most successful exporters are innovative small- and medium-sized businesses (which account for 98 percent of U.S. exporters). Businesses that export have faster-growing sales, create more jobs and are less likely to go out of business than non-exporting establishments.

 

Register Here

Secretary of State Jeff Bullock on Thursday announced that Andrew (Drew) Slater will depart from his role as Delaware Public Advocate on Friday, February 17, 2023, and will assume a new role as Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy Utility, Inc., also known as Energize Delaware. Ruth Ann Price, who has served as Deputy Public Advocate, will become Acting Public Advocate until a candidate is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Delaware State Senate.

“Drew’s knowledge and steadfast commitment to ensuring that Delawareans have the lowest reasonable utility rates will be sorely missed,” said Secretary Bullock. “In my years in state government, no one has been a more vocal advocate for consumers. Drew will have a great opportunity to promote clean and affordable energy in his new role, and I wish him well.”

The Division of the Public Advocate advocates for the lowest reasonable rates, principally on behalf of residential and small commercial consumers, consistent with the maintenance of adequate utility service and consistent with an equitable distribution of rates among all classes of consumers.

“I am excited for the opportunity to be the Executive Director of Energize Delaware,” said Andrew Slater, Delaware Public Advocate. “Our team at the Division continues to be responsive to Delawareans’ needs, which is evidenced through what we have accomplished over the past six years.”

As the Public Advocate, Slater advocated for regulated utility consumers in utility rate cases, the Artificial Island project cost allocation, several legislative initiatives such as increasing the RPS and Community Solar, Utility Distribution Planning, reducing utility rates as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and many other initiatives.

Slater was appointed Delaware’s Public Advocate by Governor Carney and confirmed by the Senate on January 25, 2017, and reappointed and confirmed in 2021. During his tenure, Slater served as the Vice President of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA)—the highest rank obtained for any Delaware Public Advocate thus far. He has also served on a number of boards including, the GTI Public Interest Advisory Committee, the Sustainable Energy Utility (Energize Delaware), the Renewable Energy Task Force, the National Association of Regulated Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Subcommittee on COVID-19, the Biggs Museum of the American Art, and others.

Prior to his role as the Public Advocate, Slater was then-Congressman Carney’s Kent/Sussex Coordinator. He began his career in public service nearly 20 years ago as an intern for then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden on the Foreign Relations Committee and spent 10 years working for the Delaware State Senate.

Slater is a graduate of Washington College and received a master’s degree from Wilmington University in 2011. He lives in Camden with his wife Laura, and two children.