New lobby exhibit celebrates “things that aren’t there anymore”

Do you remember rocking at the Stone Balloon; enjoying a muskrat meal at The Wagon Wheel; or having a shopping spree at Wanamaker’s?  If you don’t the Delaware Public Archives does.
Starting in April 2024, the DPA will kick off a celebration and remembrance of things that aren’t there anymore with a new exhibit in their Lobby Galleries, “Memory Lane”.

The exhibit contains 75 rare newly digital and restored photos of things, events, and places in The First State that no longer exist including beloved businesses, restaurants, theaters, festivals, and parks. Visitors to the Lobby Galleries at the Archives can view a five-minute informative video, read additional interesting historical facts, and receive a free 16-page full-color booklet packed with photos and First State trivia.

“This new exhibit shares images of things like Gino’s Hamburgers, S & H Green Stamps, Wilmington Dry Goods, and the Delaware landmark, The Dinner Bell Inn,” said Stephen Marz, State Archivist and Delaware Public Archives Director. “For most of us longer-term Delawareans, these may be distant memories, but with this exhibit, we hope to trigger some long-forgotten fond memories with their nostalgic look at times gone by, and to share the stories of these “local legends” with our newer residents.”

This new “Memory Lane” exhibit is based on the extremely popular Delaware Public Archives social media feature of the same name found on the DPA’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Dover, DE 19901, and is open from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.

To view/download a copy of the booklet, click here.

Find out more about the Delaware Public Archives here.

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.

“Trees” focuses exclusively on Zippe’s nature photography. Zippe, a fine arts and commercial photographer, learned about trees from his father growing up on his family farm near Clayton, Del. He photographs trees to capture the uniqueness of form, shape, and texture often making multiple visits during different seasons. After completing an image, it is transferred or printed to various media from paper to wood.

The exhibition will be on view from March 3-31 with an opening reception on Friday, March 3, from 5-7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Learn more about Zippe with our YouTube Meet the Artist video series.

The Mezzanine Gallery is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French St., Wilmington, DE 19801 and open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xgTpNudnw50

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

“[Un]Ravel” focuses exclusively on Meier’s new body of work created during his 2016 Individual Artist Fellowship in Photography from the Delaware Division of the Arts. Meier challenged himself to photograph the same subject – a ball of string – every day. The result is a series of striking photographs that explore string and its unraveling as metaphors for life and change. Meier writes:

[Un]Ravel is about when things come undone. It is about the loss of what was.
It is a shift in the state of things,
It is a movement from the way things were to something else,
It is about the uniqueness of chaos, and how it is never the same twice,
It is an inability to put things back the way they were,
It is about finding quiet, grace, and balance within the random mess.

The exhibition will be on view from Feb. 3-24, with an opening reception on Friday, Feb. 3, from 5-7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pM3vi8pDXZw

The Mezzanine Gallery is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French St., Wilmington, DE 19801 and open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

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

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For Immediate Release

THE MEZZANINE GALLERY TO EXHIBIT “RECENT PAINTINGS” BY DENISE DUMONT

The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by Denise Dumont during the month of June. Recent Paintings will be on view from June 3-24 with an opening reception on Friday, June 3 from 5 – 7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public and Ms. Dumont will be in attendance to discuss her work.

A landscape painter, Dumont paints both urban and coastal scenes in an impressionist style. She works mostly on location in the plein air tradition. Dumont explains, “I return often to the places I feel most connected to and aim to convey more than simply how a place looks, but some aspect of its character and how it feels to me.” Learn more about Denise Dumont with our YouTube Meet the Artist video series.

The Mezzanine Gallery is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 and open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Gallery schedule of upcoming artists through August 2016 is available on our website.

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 artsdel.org or call 302-577-8278.

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

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