The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of original work by Guy Miller, Jr. from March 6 – 27, 2015. The Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. A reception will be held for the exhibition where the public can meet the artist on Friday, March 6, 2015 from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

The exhibition, titled How Guy Sees It, presents imagery that explores the artist’s role to observe and critique society. Miller comments on the thoughts and behaviors experienced during daily life. An underlying theme in the artist’s work is the testing of social boundaries and accepted behavioral normative conditions. Miller pursues these themes primarily through figurative imagery with stark and sometimes confrontational compositions.

Miller is the recipient of a 2014 Delaware Division of the Arts Fellowship in Work on Paper. Miller lives and works in Dover, Delaware.

Sixteen Delaware artists are being recognized by the Delaware Division of the Arts for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 91 Delaware choreographers, composers, musicians, writers, and visual artists were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, considering demonstrated creativity and skill in their art form. The 16 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware, including in Bethel, Dover, Lewes, New Castle, Newark, Rehoboth Beach, and Wilmington.

Awards are given in three categories—$3,000 for the Emerging Professional Award, $6,000 for the Established Professional Award, and $10,000 for the Masters Award. Artist 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 provide the recognition and exposure that artists need to successfully promote their work,” said Delaware Division of the Arts Director Paul Weagraff. “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 differing artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2015, 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 also demonstrate their involvement and commitment to the arts in Delaware.

Kimberly Reighley (Wilmington) has been awarded this year’s Masters Fellowship. Reighley plays baroque and modern flute, is co-artistic director of Mélomanie, plays principal flute with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and OperaDelaware, and has performed with Brandywine Baroque as well as numerous ensembles in Pennsylvania and California.

Listed below are the 16 Delaware Division of the Arts 2015 Individual Artist Fellows and three Honorable Mentions. Contact information for the artists may be obtained from Roxanne Stanulis, the Division’s Artist Services Coordinator, at (302) 577-8283 or Roxanne.Stanulis@delaware.gov.

2015 INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWS

Masters Award ($10,000)

Kimberly Reighley, Wilmington, Music: Solo Recital

Established Professional Award ($6,000)

Robert M. Bickey, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Sculpture
Gail Braune Comorat, Lewes, Literature: Poetry
Kevin Cope, Newark, Music: Composition
Christopher Nichols, Newark, Music: Solo Recital
Russell Reece, Bethel, Literature: Fiction
Jeffrey Rubin, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Photography
Billie Travalini, Wilmington, Literature: Creative Nonfiction
Lance Winn, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Painting

Emerging Professional Award ($3,000)

Judy Catterton, Rehoboth Beach, Literature: Creative Nonfiction
Barbara Gray, Wilmington, Literature: Fiction
Tom Newby, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Painting
Britania Redington, Dover, Music: Solo Recital
James Ulry, Dover, Visual Arts: Crafts
Lindsey Warren, Newark, Literature: Poetry
Karoline Wileczek, Newark, Visual Arts: Works on Paper

Honorable Mention

Kevin Bielicki, Wilmington, Visual Arts: Sculpture
Yaprak Soysal, Bear, Visual Arts: Photography
Shannon Connor Winward, Newark, Literature: Fiction

The next deadline for Individual Artist Fellowship applications is August 3, 2015.

The Delaware Division of the Arts has opened its online application process for Delaware-based arts organizations, community organizations, and schools to apply for funding of arts programming and projects taking place during Fiscal Year 2016.

While some organizational grants are available throughout the year on a rolling deadline basis, others have an annual application deadline of March 1 (March 2 in 2015, due to March 1 falling on a Sunday).

“We always advise prospective applicants to contact the Division staff before submitting an application, especially for the first time,” said Paul Weagraff, Division Director. “Staff members can help an applicant determine which grant program is the best fit for their planned project, and can also answer questions about the application and review process.” A list of Division staff members, including their responsibilities and contact information, is available at www.artsdel.org/contact.

Below is a list of the Division’s grants programs. Please visit www.artsdel.org/grants to access the full guidelines for each program and a description of the grant review process.

Grants Open to Delaware Arts Organizations:
• General Operating Support – supports annual operating expenses to ensure that year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Delaware. Applications are reviewed on a three-year cycle for eligible applicants. Due March 2, 2015.
• Arts Stabilization – supports improvements to facilities owned and operated (or under long-term lease) by arts organizations. Up to $20,000. Due March 2, 2015.
• Education Resource – supports proposals that strengthen public school-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community. Up to $20,000. Due March 2, 2015.
• StartUp – supports programming, and develops and strengthens the management capacity of emerging arts organizations. Up to $2,500 plus training. Due March 2, 2015.

Grants Open to Delaware Community-Based Organizations:
(Delaware non-profit organizations and government entities that present arts programming or activities but do not have the arts as their primary mission)
• Project Support – supports arts programs that assist in the growth of a vibrant cultural environment by encouraging the continued development of arts activities in communities throughout the state. Due March 2, 2015.
• Opportunity Grants – supports the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Up to $1,000. Rolling deadline.

Grants Open to Delaware Schools and School Districts:
• Education Resource – supports proposals that strengthen public school-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community. Up to $20,000. Due March 2, 2015.
• Artist Residency – supports in-school residencies with visual, literary, performing or media artists working with students in the classroom or in professional development workshops with teachers. Rolling deadline.

Grants Open to Delaware Individual Artists:
• Individual Artist Fellowships – support Delaware creative artists working in the visual, performing, media, folk, and literary arts. Fellowships are designed to enable recipients to purchase equipment and materials, allocate working time, or fulfill other needs that will allow them to advance in their careers. Application will open in late spring 2015. Due August 3, 2015.
• Opportunity Grants – support individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Up to $750. Rolling deadline.

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 artists and arts organizations, 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 State Legislature, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of original work by Nancy Josephson from December 5 -24, 2014. The Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. A reception will be held for the exhibition where the public can meet the artist on Friday, December 5, 2014 from 5:00-7:30 p.m.

The exhibition presents a selection of recent work by Josephson. The objects on view feature numerous mosaic-like panel images executed in a variety of materials. Josephson utilizes extensive beadwork, sequins, and glass fragments in the creation of figurative and sculptural imagery imbued with a rich iconography.

Josephson is the recipient of a 2014 Delaware Division of the Arts Established Professional Fellowship in Crafts. She has traveled and exhibited her work widely. Josephson lives and works in Wilmington, Delaware.