The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit Paintings by Eileen Olson

On view through April 5-29, 2021
Visit the Gallery in-person or view it online

Wilmington, Del. (April 1, 2021) – Visceral Memory Cache, an exhibition of abstract paintings by Eileen Olson, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from April 5-29, 2021. The paintings are a result of a six-month creative journey around the question, “How much does my own visceral memory impact my art?” Olson is planning to be in the Gallery on Thursday, April 29 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. to meet visitors.

Through this journey, Olson discovered that the only limits to her creative process was her imagination. She describes the process as dismantling and rearranging idyllic visions from her cerebral storehouse that she calls her “cache.” To minimize external influences and tap into her memory cache, Olson begins each painting session with a short meditation.

Olson creates visually interesting paintings by using the principles of design in her shape-making and her use of color with differing values. The work may include representational shapes, like birds, and calligraphic strokes. Her goal is to capture the viewer’s interest and create an emotional reaction to the work.

“I paint because it is who I am deep inside my soul. Through a series of catastrophes, my organic marks begin to tell my story. Using many different mediums, layers and textures allows me to achieve a creative approach that helps to express my deep emotions.”

A Bethany Beach resident, Olson conducts workshops, studio tours, and offers demonstrations to art leagues and local social groups all around Delmarva. She is a member of the Rehoboth Art League, the Southeastern Delaware Artists Studio Tour, and the Art League of Ocean City. She has exhibited at galleries and special exhibitions throughout the Mid-Atlantic, been a juror for the National Art Educators Association, and she is also a partner at Gallery One in Ocean View, DE.

Image:  Wanna Touch the Sky (detail), 2020, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

The Mezzanine Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. Visitors must wear face coverings and maintain 6 feet distance from other individuals not in their household.

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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.


The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit Paintings by Constance M. Simon

On view through March 26, 2021
Visit the Gallery in-person or view it online

Wilmington, Del. (March 8, 2021) – Grids and Arches, an exhibition of paintings by Constance M. Simon, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from March 5-26, 2021. Simon is the recipient of a 2020 Artist Fellowship in Painting from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

The paintings in the exhibition are all done in gouache, an opaque watercolor medium, and come from two series based on geometric shapes and patterns. The works from the Grid series are based on grid structures that Simon uses as a base to play with variations of pattern, light, color, and volume. This series explores her interest in Islamic tile patterns, African kente cloth, and many quilting traditions.

Simon says of her Arch series, “I am drawn to architecture as a source of appealing geometric shapes and patterns. I have been adding arch shapes to my grids as a motif. The arch is by itself a beautiful shape with overtones of history and culture that resonate with me.”

The artist’s career has included 21 solo shows and inclusion in 30 group and 35 juried exhibitions. She’s pursued her practice while working as an art educator all over the United States, most recently at Delaware College of Art and Design before her retirement in 2020.

Image:  Grid Poem “8”, 2019, gouache on paper, 9 x 12 inches

The Mezzanine Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. Visitors must wear face coverings and maintain 6 feet distance from other individuals not in their household.

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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.


The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit “Tart” by Chloe McEldowney

On view from August 7 – September 18, 2020
Visit the Gallery in-person or view it online

Wilmington, Del. (August 4, 2020) – Tart, an exhibition of paintings by 2020 Artist Fellow Chloe McEldowney will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from August 7 – September 18, 2020. McEldowney is the recipient of a 2020 Artist Fellowship in Painting from the Delaware Division of the Arts. A free opening reception is being planned for Friday, September 11 (details to be announced). For those unable to visit the Gallery in-person, a link to the online gallery will be available on August 7 on our Facebook event page.

McEldowney’s portraits are an exploration of femininity and a personal search for self. Fascinated by the intricacies of women, she uses paintings to take an intimate look at the concepts of femininity, anxiety, growth, and self-expression. By overlapping bits of textures and colors in paint, she creates collage-like work that reflects the complexity and vulnerability of the women she paints. McEldowney explains,

“By using paint and color to reshape observations and experiences of humanness, I hope to offer a line of emotional connection to the viewer.”

McEldowney and her husband along with their dog and two cats moved to Wilmington in 2018, and she immediately set up a full-time painting studio in her home. She received her BFA from the University of Dayton in 2014, and her work has been seen in over 30 shows (four of them solo) throughout the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.

The Mezzanine Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. Visitors must wear face coverings and maintain 6 feet distance from other individuals not in their household.

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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.


The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit “Spring Must Come” by Terron Mitchell

On view from February 17-28, 2020
Free opening reception on Friday, February 7 at 5 p.m.

Wilmington, Del. (January 27, 2020) – Spring Must Come, an exhibition of sculptural paintings by Terron Mitchell, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from February 7-28. The artist will host a free opening reception on Friday, February 7, from 5-7 p.m. TANKSLEY, Delaware singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, will perform during the opening reception.

Mitchell creates his “sculptural paintings” by layering carved shapes made from wood sheathing to create a three-dimensional work. This layering creates interesting shadows and gives the work a sense of movement. Mitchell also makes his own custom-colored oil stains for the work. He doesn’t use the same color for more than one work. Assembling the works, often large scale, can take weeks.

The work in Spring Must Come, Mitchell says, “depicts a poetic visualization of one’s journey chasing dreams and accomplishing goals.” He is influenced by inspirational authors, Earl Nightingale and Jim Rohn. Mitchell lives, works, and maintains a studio in Smyrna, Delaware.

Images from left to right: Spring Must Come, 2019, oil stain, on pine wood, 8 x 4 x 2.5 feet

The Mezzanine Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.

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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.


Delaware Division of the Arts Announces 2019-2020 Mezzanine Gallery Solo Exhibitions

Wilmington, Del. (August 13, 2019) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is pleased to announce the 2019-2020 schedule for solo exhibitions in the Mezzanine Gallery, located in the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington, Delaware. The Mezzanine Gallery presents solo exhibitions of work by Delaware artists in disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, folk, and media arts. The opportunity to exhibit is available to visual artists who have been chosen by the Division’s annual Gallery Panel and to emerging and established visual artists who have won Individual Artist Fellowships.

Opening receptions are typically held the First Friday of the month from 5-7 p.m. to coincide with the City of Wilmington’s Art Loop. The reception is free and open to the public. Each month, the artist will be in attendance at the reception to greet visitors and answer questions about his or her work. The artwork is generally available for purchase directly from the artist. (No commission is taken by the Mezzanine Gallery.)

Olga Nielsen Sculpture September 6-27
Leah Beach* Photography October 4-25
Gregg Silvis* Sculpture November 1-27
Shawn Faust* Painting December 6 – January 10
Terron Mitchell Sculpture February 7-28
Paul Simon Works on Paper March 6-27
Aaron Paskins Sculpture April 3-24
Kim Klabe Works on Paper May 1-29
Eileen Olson Painting June 5-26
Howard Eberle Works on Paper July 3-31
Chloe McEldowney Painting August 7-28

 

*Individual Artist Fellow.

To be considered for a Mezzanine Gallery exhibition, artists may submit a Mezzanine Gallery Application before the annual deadline of March 15. In addition, artists who have received an Individual Artist Fellowship in the visual arts are also given the opportunity to exhibit in the gallery. The annual deadline for the Individual Artist Fellowship application is August 1.

Learn more about each month’s artist with our YouTube Meet the Artist video series, which debut a week prior to the opening reception in the press release and on social media. View past Mezzanine Gallery exhibitions on our Flickr page: Delaware Division of the Arts.

The Mezzanine 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, DE 19801.

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Contact: Dennis Lawson, Interim Communications Coordinator
302-743-8927, dennis.lawson@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.