Delaware Division of the Arts

 

February 10, 2015 
 
Paul Weagraff, Director 

Poetry Out Loud

 

Students from seventeen Delaware high schools will participate in the 10th Annual Poetry Out Loud State Finals at the Smyrna Opera House on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 7 p.m. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock will greet contestants and give opening remarks.

 

Each of the seventeen participants will recite poetry that they have selected, studied, and practiced, representing more than 40 different poets including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Lewis Carroll, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson.

 

Director/Actor/Producer Jeffrey Santoro, artistic director and producer of Delaware All State Theatre will be the Master of Ceremonies. Adjudicators include Russell Endo, Dr. Carol Henderson, Ginny Jewell, Mary Margaret Pauer and the Twin Poets, Al Mills and the Honorable Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha. The 2014 Delaware Poetry Out Loud champion, Kathleen Becker, will serve as the accuracy judge, ensuring that competitors recite the poems correctly. For more information, click here.

Delaware State Employee Art Exhibit

 

This year's exhibit will be held from February 23 - March 14, 2015 at the Art Center/Gallery at Delaware State University in Dover. Sponsored by The National Arts Program� in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit features up to 300 artworks from state employees and their immediate families, and is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals in Amateur, Intermediate, Professional, Teen and Youth classifications. Photos of all work will be posted on the Division's Flickr and Facebook pages by February 27th. 

 

Vote for your favorites!!! You can vote for your favorites after February 27 on Facebook using the "like" button. The People's Choice Award winner will be announced at the closing reception and awards ceremony on March 14, 1-3 p.m. For more information, click here.

Meet the 2015 Artist Fellows


Each month, we plan to introduce two of Delaware's 2015 Individual Artist Fellows. We'll also provide information about upcoming public events where you can experience their work.

 

Christopher Nichols  Christopher Nichols

Established Professional, Music: Solo Recital

Newark

Clarinetist Christopher Nichols is currently an assistant professor at University of Delaware; Adjunct Faculty at St. Andrew's School in Middletown, DE; and teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. He has performed as a soloist and with various ensembles in Germany, Italy, Spain, and throughout the United States. Nichols will be performing with pianist Julie Nishimura at the University of Delaware, Gore Recital Hall, on February 18, 2015, 8 p.m.


 

 

Russell Reece

Established Professional, Literature: Fiction

Bethel

Russell Reece is co-host of 2nd Saturday Poets, fiction editor for The Fox Chase Review, and a board member of the Delaware Literary Connection. His prose, poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous publications since 2003, and he received Honorable Mentions from the Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Arts Fellowship Program in 2011 and 2013. Reece will be reading at 2nd Saturday Poets on February 14, 2015, 5-7 p.m. at Jackson Inn in Wilmington.

Division Seeks Grant Panelists


The Delaware Division of the Arts engages Delaware citizens every year to review grant applications for state funding of the arts. The Division selects panelists based on their knowledge and experience in the arts, in business and nonprofit management, and in their community. To be considered for service on a grant review panel, you may nominate yourself or someone else to the pool. Download the Grant Review Panelist Fact Sheet to learn more about what is involved in being a grant review panelist, the Grant Panelist Nominee Information Form to nominate yourself, or the Panelist Nomination Form to nominate others. Nominations are accepted year-round, but if you wish to be considered for a panel this spring, the deadline is March 15, 2015.

Upcoming Mezzanine Exhibits

 

Symmetry, Guy Miller, Jr. The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by 2014 Individual Artist Fellow Guy Miller, Jr. (New Castle) titled "How Guy Sees It" from March 6-27, with an opening reception on March 6, 5-8 p.m. 

 

Work by 2014 Individual Artist Fellow photographer B. Proud is currently on display in the Mezzanine Gallery through February 27.

 

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.

Sign up here to receive monthly Mezzanine Gallery invitations by email for upcoming exhibits.

 

Image: Symmetry in Paris, 2013, ink, watercolor; Guy Miller, Jr.

Visual Images Registry
Artist Consideration for 2015/2016 Mezzanine Gallery Shows 

 

The Visual Images Registry, located in the Division's office in Wilmington, contains digital images and information about Delaware visual artists. Professionals in the visual arts who are Delaware residents, at least 18 years of age, and not enrolled in a degree-granting education program, may establish a file in the Visual Images Registry. The Registry is available for review by artists, curators, art consultants, collectors, architects, and others who are interested in artists' work. Artists in the Registry are also considered for exhibits in the Mezzanine Gallery. A panel of arts professionals review images each spring to choose exhibitors. To be a part of the review, artists need to update their file by March 1 every year. More information.

Professional Development Corner

 

Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA) - Arts Rendezvous in Kent County

Delaware Arts Alliance

Join DAA on Monday, February 23, 2015 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Dover Century Club on The Green. Keynote Speaker is Darryl M. Scott, "Legislation 101." The Dover Downtown Development District plan will also be shared with a discussion led by Ann Marie Townshend, ACIP, City of Dover Director of Planning 

& Community Development. $5 for DAA members and $10 for non-members (payable at the door). RSVP by Feb. 19 to nmercado@delawareartsalliance.org. 

 

Trustees of Color (TOC)- Board Diversity Expo  

Trustees of Color

Are you a person of color looking to give back by serving on a nonprofit board? Are you a Delaware nonprofit organization seeking to diversify your board of directors? Trustees of Color is offering a Board Diversity Expo in Milford on March 9, 2015, 5-7 p.m.


 

 

Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) 

Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement

DANA's Spring Trainings lineup includes a variety of workshops for nonprofit organizations, held in locations across Delaware.  Some topics include succession planning, organization life cycles, greatness, understanding financial statements, and board excellence.

Arts Advocacy Day, Washington, DC

March 23-24, 2015

 

Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA) will lead the Delaware delegation to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to meet with Delaware's congressional leaders to advocate for the arts in Delaware as part of the Americans for the Arts' Arts Advocacy Day. If you wish to join the DAA delegation, please contact Nivea Mercado at nmercado@delawareartsalliance.org or call (302) 425-5500, ext. 107.
 

Nominations for National Medal of Arts

National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. These individuals, through their creativity, inspiration, and hard work, have significantly enriched the cultural life of our nation. The National Endowment for the Arts is currently seeking nominations with a deadline of February 27, 2015.  For more information, visit here. 

Upcoming Grant Deadlines and Webinars

 

NEA Art Works Program

  • Two annual application deadlines: 2/19/15 and 7/23/15

MAAF Special Presenter Initiative (for Delaware organizations)

  • Application deadline: 2/20/15

DDOA: Visual Images Registry and consideration for Mezzanine Gallery exhibits

  • Postmark deadline: 3/1/15

DDOA: General Operating, Project, Arts Stabilization, Education Resource and StartUp Programs

  • Application deadline: 3/2/15

MAAF ArtsCONNECT Program

  • Application deadline: 3/13/15
  • Webinars: 1/22/15 and 2/10/15, 2 p.m.

Carl Freeman Foundation

  • 2015 Sussex County FACES application opens: 2/17/2015
  • Application deadline: 3/17/2015
  • Workshop: Thursday, 2/26/15, 4-5 p.m., Georgetown Public Library

Kent County Fund for the Arts

  • Application deadline: 3/31/2015

NEA Challenge America Program

  • Application deadline: 4/16/15
  • Webinar: 3/11/15, 3 p.m.

DelawareScene.com

Your source for arts and culture entertainment information throughout Delaware.  Browse or search by date, region, art form, free, family-friendly or special events. 
 
What's On Mobile App
Go mobile with the What's On app, powered by Delaware Scene.com.
Download from the App Store or Google Play, or visit apps.delaware.gov
Search for "Delaware What's On"

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.