Samuel McGarvey to Represent Delaware in 2018 Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington

For Immediate Release

 SAMUEL MCGARVEY TO REPRESENT DELAWARE IN
2018 POETRY OUT LOUD NATIONAL FINALS IN WASHINGTON

Photo: Joe del Tufo

Dover, Del. (February 28, 2018) – From a competitive field of 12 Delaware high school students, Samuel McGarvey, a sophomore from Tall Oaks Classical School, earned the title of 2018 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Dover, Del. on Feb. 27. The first runner-up was Dounya Ramadan from Newark Charter Jr./Sr. High School and the second runner-up was Richard Matthews from Dover High School.

McGarvey’s final recitation, I Remember, I Remember by Thomas Hood, earned him high marks with the judges.

For his winning presentation, McGarvey will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington with a chaperone to compete at the national championship on April 23-25. Tall Oaks Classical School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Dounya Ramadan, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Newark Charter Jr./Sr. High School will receive $200 for its school library.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

To learn more about the State Finalists and for hi-res photos from the event, please see our page here. For hi-res photos, please contact Leeann Wallett.

Back Row: Andrew Dingwall, Melina Hudson, Dounya Ramadan, Avery Chambers, Matthew Byer, Tyler Keeler Front Row: Chelsea Anokye-Agyei, Julian Clark, Giovani Malcolm, First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, Richard Matthews, Whitney Grinnage-Cassidy, Samuel McGarvey. Photo: Joe del Tufo

About Poetry Out Loud
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 schools and over 2,000 Delaware students participated in the Poetry Out Loud program in the current academic year. The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest competition is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

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

Banner image: Samuel McGarvey


The National Endowment for the Arts Announces FY 2018 Grants to Support the Arts

THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES
FY 2018 GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE
ARTS
Two Delaware organizations will receive $20,000 in federal grants

Wilmington, Del. (February 7, 2018) – Each year, more than 4,500 communities large and small throughout the United States benefit from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants to nonprofits. For the NEA’s first of two major grant announcements of fiscal year 2018, more than $25 million in grants across all artistic disciplines will be awarded to nonprofit organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These grants are for specific projects and range from performances and exhibitions, to healing arts and arts education programs, to festivals and artist residencies.

“It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities, and connections the arts bring.”

OperaDelaware will receive an Art Works grant in the amount of $10,000 to support new productions of Puccini’s “Il Trittico” (“The Triptych”) and composer Michael Ching’s “Buoso’s Ghost.”

“We’re delighted that the NEA has chosen to support our work for the third season in a row,” said General Director, Brendan Cooke. “This grant will allow us to return to Wilmington’s Grand Opera House (which received a 2017 NEA Art Works grant) for the 2018 Spring Opera Festival which will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Puccini’s “Il Trittico” (“The Triptych”) and feature seven one-act operas over two weekends.”

For fiscal year 2018, the NEA will award 936 Art Works grants totaling more than $24 million to organizations in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The Wilmington Renaissance Corporation will receive a Challenge America grant in the amount of $10,000 to support the artist-led creation of a community public artwork.

“To receive this recognition and award from the NEA is an honor,” said Dr. Carrie W. Gray, managing director of Wilmington Renaissance Corporation. “We truly believe that the arts are an engine for community and neighborhood development. This is at the core of our Creative District initiative. Thanks to the NEA’s help, we will be able to continue to provide access to arts and culture programming to neighborhoods that will benefit from it. We look forward to sharing the details of our project with everyone soon.”

For fiscal year 2018, the NEA will award 138 Challenge America grants of $10,000 each for a total of $1.38 million to organizations in 42 states.

The full NEA grant descriptions follow:

Art Works
Art Works is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.

Challenge America
The Challenge America category features NEA support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. A number of these grantees have a history of support in both the Challenge America and Art Works categories.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.

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

Banner image: 2016 production of Amleto (Hamlet), OperaDelaware


 


The Delaware Division of the Arts to Host a Free Accessibility Presentation Led by the National Endowment for the Arts

Delaware Division of the Arts - Press Release - Accessibility Workshop

THE DELAWARE DIVISION OF THE ARTS TO HOST A FREE
ACCESSIBILITY PRESENTATION LED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Dr. Beth Bienvenu, accessibility director,
will review how to make the arts accessible to all

Wilmington, Del. (November 30, 2017) – Building off of this year’s Arts Summit theme: “Arts for All” and an earlier workshop “Flourishing: The Art of Creative Aging,” the Division will sponsor a special presentation by Dr. Bienvenu on the topic: “Accessibility Basics: Ensuring Access for Everyone” on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Copeland Lecture Hall, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. The Division invites all current and past grantees, the broader nonprofit sector and media to attend this free educational opportunity.

Dr. Bienvenu will provide an overview of what accessibility is, the range of audiences to consider when developing accessibility plans, and practical ways to improve access to programs for all audiences. Her presentation will be followed by a brief presentation by John Orr, executive director of Art-Reach, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to creating, advocating and expanding accessible opportunities in the arts so that the full spectrum of society is served. The afternoon will conclude with a Q&A session.

“The Division’s grantees are required to ensure that projects, productions, workshops and programs comply with applicable accessibility laws. We encourage arts organizations of all sizes to create programs that embrace the concept of ‘universal design’ that everyone—older people, people with and without disabilities—can access,” said Paul Weagraff, director, Delaware Division of the Arts.

For those attending the presentation, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library will offer attendees a free, guided tour of its annual Yuletide at Winterthur. To be eligible for the tour, visitors must attend the Accessibility presentation and RSVP in advance.

Please RSVP here for an accurate headcount: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nea-accessibility-rsvp. Responses requested no later than Friday, December 8 at 10:30 a.m.

On-site parking is available, please follow signs for the Visitor Parking Lot and take the walking path that leads to the Visitor Center.

Handicapped parking and visitor drop-off is also available. At the fork in the road, in front of the Visitor Center, turn right. Parking is next to the Visitor Center entrance.


About Dr. Beth Bienvenu
Dr. Beth Bienvenu is the Director of the Office of Accessibility at the National Endowment for the Arts, where she manages the NEA’s technical assistance and advocacy work devoted to making the arts accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and people in institutional settings. She provides guidance and support to state arts agency staff and professionals working the fields of arts access, creativity and aging, arts and health, universal design, and arts in corrections.

Prior to coming to the NEA, she worked as a Policy Advisor for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), where she analyzed public and private sector policies and practices related to the employment for people with disabilities. She also served as an adjunct professor for George Mason University’s Master of Arts in Arts Management program, where she taught courses in arts policy and comparative international arts policy, and she has a background in performing arts management. Dr. Bienvenu has master’s degrees in sociology and arts administration from Indiana University and a doctorate in organizational leadership from The University of Oklahoma.

About John Orr
John was appointed as Executive Director of Art-Reach in February 2015, with a vision that he would lead organizational planning efforts and grow strategic initiatives. A native of Philadelphia, John brings over 19 years of experience in the city’s cultural community, including work at museums, community arts organizations, and historic sites and he currently serves as a board member of Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia. In addition, John advises and helps coordinate the largest conference for small museum professionals in the mid-Atlantic region through his work with the Small Museum Association. John received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College. John’s commitment to planning and implementation, strategic fundraising, and organizational culture have driven his work throughout his career.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016.

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


Delaware Division of the Arts Announces First Round of Grants in Support of Arts Projects for Fiscal Year 2018

Delaware Division of the Arts Logo
Wilmington, Del. (July 24, 2017) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is investing nearly $3 million in more than 100 arts and community organizations that will serve Delawareans statewide with arts programming and services, arts education, and arts marketing and promotion. This first round of funding for FY2018 includes: General Operating Support, Project Support, Arts Stabilization, and Education Resource grants.

“The arts in Delaware are integral to the fabric of our communities—from Claymont to Rehoboth Beach to Seaford. We are proud to invest in arts education, arts and community development, and arts for underserved communities,” said Paul Weagraff, director of the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Grant review panels made up of Delaware artists, arts educators, arts and nonprofit organization administrators, corporate and fundraising managers, and interested community members, provided an impartial peer review of these grant applications based on established evaluation criteria, reflecting the importance of having diverse public and expert participation in the grant-making process.

“In Delaware, the arts continue to be an important economic driver—generating $149.9 million in annual economic activity and supporting over 4,000 jobs for our citizens, providing business for our restaurants and other small enterprise, and tax revenue for our state and local governments—according to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 national economic impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. In addition to the important economic impacts, the arts benefit all Delawareans from children to senior citizens across the socioeconomic spectrum, and from rural communities to the cities,” said J. Mack Wathen, chair of the Delaware State Arts Council.

The awards include:

  • Sixty-one (61) arts organizations will receive general operating support.
  • Twenty-six (26) community-based organizations will receive support for arts programming for children and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities; economically disadvantaged and at-risk students; individuals and family members dealing with cancer; and young children and community members from across Delaware.
  • Thirteen (13) education-based partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations and artists that provide teacher training and standards-based arts learning experiences for pre K-12 students statewide, in alignment with the new Delaware Standards for Learning in the Visual and Performing Arts, will be funded.
  • Seven (7) arts stabilization projects will provide support for capital improvements and repairs to facilities owned by arts organizations.

Funding for the Delaware Division of the Arts comes from the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency. In addition, the funds for capital improvements grants—provided by the Arts Stabilization Fund—are drawn from the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. A complete list of grants for the first round of FY 2018 can be found here.

 

GRANT BREAKDOWN BY TYPE

Grant Program # Grants Amount Awarded
General Operating Support 61 $2,388,600
Project Support 26 $187,400
Arts Stabilization 7 $75,000
Education Resource 13 $134,000
TOTAL 107 $2,785,000

 

The Division also awards grants on an on-going basis throughout the year, including Arts Access grants, Artist Residencies, Individual Artist Fellowships, Individual Artist Opportunity grants, and TranspARTation grants. Full grant descriptions are available on the Division’s website and at the end of the release.

Interested members of the public, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders are encouraged to visit the Delaware Division of the Arts website to learn more about these programs. Notification of grant deadlines, guidelines and applications, as well as technical assistance opportunities are published in the monthly e-newsletter, Arts E-News. Please visit our website at arts.delaware.gov for more details.

 

GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Arts Organizations: Non-profit Delaware organizations whose primary mission is the promotion, production, presentation, or teaching of the arts

General Operating Support – support of annual operating expenses to ensure that year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Delaware. This grant category utilizes a three-year application cycle. Full applications are due every three years, with Interim applications due in the “off” years. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Stabilization – supports improvements to facilities owned (or under long-term lease) and operated by the organization. Arts Stabilization grants are funded through the Division’s participation in the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. Annual March 1 deadline.

StartUp – a comprehensive program of financial support, training, and consultation to develop and strengthen the management capacity of emerging arts organizations so that they can operate in a sustainable manner. Completion of the StartUp program is a prerequisite for emerging organizations seeking General Operating Support. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the project start date, and are reviewed as they are received, beginning on July 1 of each year. Organizations that receive General Operating or Project Support from the Division are not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline.

Community-Based Organizations: Non-profit Delaware organizations, colleges, universities, and government entities that do not have the arts as their primary mission

Project Support – supports arts programs provided by CBOs that assist in the growth of a vibrant cultural environment by encouraging the continued development of arts activities in communities throughout the state. College and university projects must be non-credit and serve the general community.  Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the project start date, and are reviewed as they are received, beginning on July 1 of each year. Organizations that receive General Operating or Project Support from the Division are not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline.

Schools: Delaware pre-K through 12 public, charter, private, and parochial schools

Artist Residency – grants for residencies with visual, literary, performing, or media artists working with students in the classroom or in professional development workshops with teachers. Rolling deadline.

TranspARTation – grants that support transportation costs for schools to travel to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order for students to attend arts performances, events and exhibits. Rolling deadline.

Arts Organizations and Schools:

Education Resource – grants to strengthen standards-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community or strengthen arts organizations’ capacity to serve as professional development resources for teaching artists and educators.  Annual March 1 deadline.

Individual Artists: Delaware residents, 18 years of age or older, not enrolled in a degree-granting program

Artist Fellowships – supports individual artists in their work as visual, performing, media, folk, and/or literary artists. Applications are received and processed by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. FY18 Masters categories are Dance, Jazz or Music. Annual August 1 deadline. Applications now open. Deadline August 1 by 4:30 p.m.

Artist Opportunity Grants – provides up to $750 to support individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Quarterly deadlines, January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

 

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The National Endowment for the Arts Announces Second Round of FY 2017 Grants to Support the Arts

ddoa-horizontal-logo

THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES FY 2017 GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE ARTS
Two Delaware organizations will receive over $690,000 in federal grants

Wilmington, Del. (June 16, 2017) – As the only funder in the country to support arts activities in all 50 states and five U.S. jurisdictions, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that two Delaware organizations, including the Division of the Arts, will receive $691,100 in federal grants as part of the its second round of funding for FY 2017.

“The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected,” says NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Supporting projects like the ones in Delaware offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”

The Delaware Division of the Arts will receive a Partnership (State & Regional) grant in the amount of $681,100 to support activities associated with carrying out its NEA-approved State strategic plan.

“Representing 17% of the Division’s budget, NEA funding is critical in supporting arts programming that directly reaches more than 30 communities throughout Delaware, serving more than one million youth and adults annually,” says Paul Weagraff, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “This investment in Delaware’s creative sector contributes positively to vibrant communities, comprehensive educational opportunities, and robust economic activity.”

The Grand Opera House will receive an Art Works – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works grant in the amount of $10,000 to support its Summer in the Parks series. In partnership with the City of Wilmington, The Grand will present free arts events for children and families in parks throughout the city. Local and regional artists working in dance, music, theater, and visual arts will create and present interactive performances and hands-on arts activities tailored for each neighborhood. Summer in the Parks staff also will work with schools, day camps, community centers, and teen programs to ensure the programming meets the needs of the community.

“We are honored to see The Grand’s Summer in the Parks program recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts. This funding is critical to our work within our community, and is the first time in nine years that The Grand has received a grant from the NEA. At such a pivotal time for the NEA and NEH, The Grand is honored to be a beacon of what this funding can accomplish in our neighborhoods,” says Mark Fields, Executive Director of The Grand Opera House & The Playhouse on Rodney Square.

The full NEA grant descriptions follow:

State and Regional Partnership Agreements
Through partnership agreements, the NEA translates national leadership into local and regional benefit. States and U.S. jurisdictions have their own arts agency that together receive 40 percent of the NEA’s grantmaking funds each year to support their programs and leverage state funding. In addition to these 55 agencies, six regional arts organizations are funded to manage programs across state, national, and international borders and across all arts disciplines.

Art Works II
Art Works is the NEA’s largest category and focuses on funding the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts, and strengthening of communities through the arts.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

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.

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