Wilmington, Del. (June 13, 2023) – The Delaware Division of the Arts announces the opening of its annual application process for its 2024 Individual Artist Fellowship program. Administered in partnership with Mid Atlantic Arts (MAA), this program aims to recognize and support exceptional artists in Delaware working across various artistic disciplines, including the visual, performing, media, folk, and literary arts.

The Individual Artist Fellowship is a prestigious award for artists who demonstrate outstanding artistic quality and creativity in their respective fields. Fellowship grants range from $5,000 to $12,000. Artists  must read the updated guidelines for eligibility requirements, and submit their applications electronically.

The Individual Artist Fellowship is a highly competitive program – in 2023, 118 applications were received, and 17 artists were awarded fellowships. The Fellowship grants are to be used for purchasing equipment and materials, allocating working time, or fulfilling other needs that contribute to their artistic growth and development. Fellowship recipients are also required to present public programs or exhibits of their work during their fellowship year.

The fellowship program offers three categories with varying monetary awards:

Emerging Professional Fellowships: $5,000

Available to artists in the early stages of their careers who have not yet established reputations in their fields. Please note that artists applying in a discipline they teach at the undergraduate level are ineligible for the Emerging category and must apply in the Established category.

Established Professional Fellowships: $8,000

Available to artists who have demonstrated significant achievements in their respective fields.

Masters Fellowships: $12,000

Available to artists who have previously received an Established Fellowship in the same discipline more than seven years ago.

In Fiscal Year 2024, Masters Fellowship applications will be accepted in the disciplines of Dance, Jazz and Music from artists who received an Established Professional Fellowship in the same artistic discipline more than seven years ago (prior to January 2017). Masters Fellowships will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Excellence of work
• Significant accomplishments in their field
• Sustained history of artistic activity within Delaware

“We are excited to offer these fellowships to Delaware artists, as we believe in the transformative power of art and its ability to enrich our communities,” says Division Director Jessica Ball. “By providing financial support and recognition to Delaware’s talented artists, we aim to foster their artistic growth and enable them to sustain their artistic careers.”

To be considered for the fellowship, artists must demonstrate their creativity and skill in one of the twenty disciplines offered in Fiscal Year 2024. These disciplines include Dance: Choreography; Folk Art: Music; Folk Art: Oral Literature; Folk Art: Visual Arts; Jazz: Composition; Jazz: Performance; Literature: Creative Nonfiction; Literature: Fiction; Literature: Playwriting; Literature: Poetry; Media Arts: Video/Film; Music: Composition; Music: Contemporary Performance (hip-hop, popular, R&B); Music: Solo Recital (classical); Visual Arts: Crafts; Visual Arts: Painting; Visual Arts: Photography; Visual Arts: Sculpture; Visual Arts: Works on Paper; and Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary.

Applicants should note that their application may be moved to a different artistic discipline based on juror recommendations or at the discretion of Division staff.

To be eligible for Individual Artist Fellowship, applicants must:

• Must be a resident of Delaware for at least one year at the time of application. A legal resident possesses a valid Delaware driver’s license or DMV-issued identification card and files state income taxes in Delaware as a full-year resident. All awards are subject to verification of Delaware residency.
• Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
• Must remain a Delaware resident during the grant period (January 1 – December 31, 2024).

Ineligible applicants include:

• Students currently enrolled in a degree or certificate-granting educational program at the time of application.
• Any recipient of a Masters Fellowship.
• Fellowship recipients who have received an award within the past three years (FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023) are ineligible to apply in the Emerging or Established Professional categories.
• Applicants who submit incomplete applications or applications that do not follow the required format.
• A member or relative of a member of the Delaware State Arts Council or Division staff.
• Applicants with outstanding final reports from any past Division of the Arts grants.

The deadline for submitting applications is August 1, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST. For more information about the Individual Artist Fellowship (including requirements, eligibility, and application materials), visit the Grants for Artists page on the Division’s website.

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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.

TOWNSEND – Autumn’s vibrant foliage will be on full display within the lush landscape and pristine waters of the Blackbird Creek Reserve at the 12th Annual Blackbird Creek Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 19 on the Delaware Bayshore Byway. The festival takes place rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Blackbird Creek Reserve, 801 Blackbird Landing Road near Townsend. The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) and DNREC’s Delaware Coastal Programs host the festival along the banks of Blackbird Creek.

“The Blackbird Creek Fall Festival showcases one of Delaware’s natural treasures and provides an opportunity for visitors to experience first-hand some of our state’s unique environmental wonders,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Plus, the lineup of activities for all ages, food, and music make this a fun and educational event that the entire family can enjoy.”

The Black Creek Fall Festival is DNERR’s largest event of the year. This year’s festival features a fall native plant sale held for the first time in conjunction with Delaware Wildlands. Additionally, the festival offers traditional crafts and demonstrations by a blacksmith, hands-on learning about the estuary, canoeing, live music and kids’ activities. Visitors may also browse the works of artisans and exhibitors, enjoy hayrides and a hay maze, learn to cast a fishing line, go on a guided hike of the reserve, and check out Native American cultural demonstrations. The musical lineup for the day includes the Smyrna High School Drum Line, Jerry “Crabmeat” Thompson, Bryan Scar, and East of the Mason Dixon Line.

Families also can get a “passport” and earn a prize by visiting all the participating stations throughout the festival, learning about the natural resources and heritage of the Delaware Bay through games, demonstrations and challenges. Food vendors will also be on-site to provide a variety of food and snacks for purchase.

For more information on the Blackbird Creek Fall Festival, contact Maggie Pletta, Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, 302-739-6377 or visit http://de.gov/blackbirdfestival.

Contact: Maggie Pletta, DNREC Delaware Coastal Programs, 302-739-6377

Vol. 49, No. 244

DOVER – DNREC’s First State Heritage Park will take a closer look at types of 18th-century music in Delaware from 9 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1 at the John Bell House on The Green. The public is invited to have some fun and sing along with “Music and Song in a Public House.”

Other sites within the First State Heritage Park will also delve into a variety of other aspects of music from around the world. Children will be able to create their own musical instrument by taking part in the Biggs Kids program at the Biggs Museum of American Art. The Johnson Victrola Museum will be celebrating African-American Music Appreciation Month with guided tours focusing on the impact of people of color on the music industry throughout the world. Visitors can also learn about the origins of country music at the “Play that Old Time Country Music” lecture presented at the Old State House.

First Saturday Activities: Saturday, June 1

9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Music and Song in a Public House
John Bell House, 43 The Green
Sing along while learning the importance of music and song in the 18th century.

Black Music Month Celebration
Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New Street
In celebration of African-American Music Appreciation Month, guided tours will highlight the contributions African-American artists have made to music around the world.

Biggs Kids – Kazoos
Biggs Museum of American Art, 406 Federal Street
Learn how music and art work together, by making and decorating your own musical instrument.

A Capitol Experience
Legislative Hall, 411 Legislative Avenue
Experience Delaware history at Delaware’s state capital building. Photo ID is required for all adults entering the building.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Last tour leaves at 3 p.m.)

Stories of The Green Walking Tour
Meet at the John Bell House on The Green
For 300 years, The Green has been the center of commerce, politics and civic life in Dover. Guided walks through the historic district reveal the people and events that left their mark on Dover’s history.

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Guided Tours
At Woodburn – The Governor’s House, 151 Kings Highway
Enjoy guided tours of the official residence of Delaware’s Governor since 1965.

10:30 a.m.

An Unsurpassed Soldiery: The Delaware Regiment during the American Revolution
Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard North
This presentation by historian Charles Fithian will offer some of the preliminary findings of a new study of the Delaware Regiment, and will describe some of the distinctive features of its service.

1:30 p.m.

Play That Old Time Country Music
The Old State House, 25 The Green
This lecture discusses the early roots of country music with the Victor Talking Machine Company. Visitors can enjoy this educational presentation with original 78 rpm recordings.

1:30 – 4 p.m. (Last tour begins at 4 p.m.)

“The Once and Future Courthouse”
Historic Kent County Courthouse, Courtroom #1, 38 The Green, meet on front steps
From the 1690s to the present, learn how this site went from a courthouse to a hotel and back again.

Admission to all park sites and programs is free. Centrally-located free parking is available at the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North. For more information about “First Saturday” events and all First State Heritage Park programs, please call 302-739-9194 or visit destateparks.com/heritagepark.

The First State Heritage Park is Delaware’s first urban “park without boundaries,” linking historic and cultural sites in the city that has been the seat of state government since 1777. The park is a partnership of state agencies under the leadership of DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation, working in collaboration with city and county government, nonprofit organizations and the private sector.

Media Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Twenty Delaware artists and three Honorable Mentions
to receive recognition

Wilmington, Del. (January 14, 2019) – Twenty Delaware artists are being recognized by the Division for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 136 Delaware choreographers, composers, musicians, writers, folk and visual artists were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, considering demonstrated creativity and skill in their art form. The 20 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Bear, Bridgeville, Claymont, Dover, Frankford, Lewes, Middletown, Newark, and Wilmington.

Awards are given in three categories – $10,000 for the Masters Award, $6,000 for the Established Professional Award, and $3,000 for the Emerging Professional Award – and 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 Paul Weagraff, director of 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 work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XIX, at the Biggs Museum from June 7 to July 21, 2019. Selections from Award Winners will travel to CAMP Rehoboth in August and early September and then Cab Calloway School of the Arts during September and October.

The Masters Fellowship is open to differing artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2019, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Literary and Media Arts 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. Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2019 Individual Artist Fellows and three Honorable Mentions.

Billie Travalini has been awarded this year’s Masters Fellowship in Literature: Fiction. Travalini, an internationally award-winning writer and educator, teaches English and creative writing at Wilmington University. She has taught creative writing to encourage critical thinking at youth detention centers statewide, which led to Teaching Troubled Youth: A Practical Pedagogical Guide, an award-winning book with an important message on the human condition. In addition, she has taught poetry and playwriting at various Boys and Girls Clubs. In 2014, Travalini received the Governor’s Award for the Arts for her extensive career and work in education. Travalini, co-founder and coordinator of the Lewes Creative Writers’ Conference, is currently working with Fort DuPont to have the children of Governor Bacon remembered by serving the children of today. Her passion for creative writing has led her to “promote the need to include everyone in the conversation.”

2019 Individual Artist Fellows

Masters Award ($10,000)

Established Professional Award ($6,000)

Emerging Artist Award ($3,000)

Honorable Mention

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

The next deadline for Individual Artist Fellowship applications will be Thursday, August 1, 2019 by 4:30 p.m.

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 arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278. Image: 2018 Award Winners exhibition at the Biggs Museum. Painting (right) by Thomas del Porte, 2018 Established Professional, Visual Arts: painting

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

DOVER – The Kent Conservation District invites everyone to a rompin’, stompin’ good time at its 19th Annual Barn Dance fundraiser to be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12 at the Harrington Fire Company, 20 Clark Street, Harrington, DE 19952. The event features a down-home meal including beef and dumplings, fried chicken, and all the fixings, plus live and silent benefit auctions, and dancing to DJ music.

Tickets are now on sale for $20 per person or $35 per couple. Tickets for children 12 years and under are $10 each, while children under two are admitted free. Reserved tables seating eight are available for $150, and must be reserved in one name and paid by a single check.

Funds raised through the Barn Dance support the Delaware Envirothon, an annual competitive, problem-solving, natural resource challenge for high school students which is co-sponsored by DNREC. Additionally, DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship guides the Conservation Districts staff in providing technical and financial assistance to Delaware’s farmers, landowners, and homeowners to protect and enhance the state’s soil and water resources.

For tickets or more information, please call the Kent Conservation District at 302-741-2600, ext. 3.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 226