Every October, we unite for National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM), the nation’s largest annual celebration of arts and culture. It’s a moment to honor the artists, educators, veterans, and community leaders whose creativity strengthens democracy, fuels our economy, and tells America’s story.

This year’s theme, Stories Unite Us, reminds us that creativity defines who we are as a nation and who we aspire to be. Yet at a time when federal arts and humanities funding faces real threats, protecting the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is more urgent than ever. These investments aren’t line items—they are lifelines that sustain local economies, safeguard heritage, and provide healing and education in every community.

In honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, Americans for the Arts is launching 50 Stories, 50 States, a national storytelling campaign inviting Americans everywhere to share how the arts and humanities have shaped their life, community, or identity.

In Delaware, there a number of ways for you to get more involved:

• Attend an art or cultural event in your community or participate in an arts-related class or workshop. You can find arts and cultural events and workshops, both in-person and virtual, happening across the state at DelawareScene.com.
• Send an email to your public officials in support of one or more of the arts and culture campaigns listed.
• Become a member of or volunteer for your favorite arts organization. You could also consider making a donation to support them financially.
• Try something new and take a class in creative writing, dance, painting, or whatever strikes your fancy. Search the internet for in-person or online arts classes in your community.

Agents of Change

Advancing New Ideas and Practices

Monday, October 27, 2025

Hotel Du Pont

42 W 11th St, Wilmington, DE 19801

Registration: $65 with FREE parking



ONLY 10 SEATS REMAIN - REGISTER NOW!

Do you work in arts administration or arts programming? Are you an artist, arts patron, or arts educator? Do you volunteer at an arts organization? If you’re interested in the arts, then you belong at the Delaware Arts Summit!

As Agents of Change we can enable change to happen within our work, our organizations, and our communities. The 2025 Delaware Arts Summit will explore ways to identify the need for change and how to achieve it with new ideas and practices that address challenges, recognize opportunities, and promote future sustainability in the arts.

Historic Odessa Foundation

Odessa

September 19 – October 26

Rehoboth Art League

Rehoboth Beach

November 7-30

Reception: Fri., November 7

from 5-7pm

Poetry Out Loud® lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection. Through this program, high school students across the country participate in a dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence, and teach them about literary history and contemporary life. A partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud® provides free lesson plans and other educational materials to teachers and organizers, including an online anthology of 1,200 classic and contemporary poems.

The program starts at the local level with a school or participating organization. Winners then may advance to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the national finals. Awards and placements are determined solely by judges’ scores based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria. Poetry Out Loud takes place in all 50 states, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the U.S. have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

Deadline to register is October 31, 2025.

Have a question about Poetry Out Loud?

Contact Briana Henry at Briana.Henry@delaware.gov!

Important Dates

School Registration Deadline - October 31, 2025

Classroom Instruction/School Competitions - November - December 2025

Deadline to Report School Winners - December 23, 2025

Student Coaching and Preparation - January - February 2026

Delaware State Finals - February 19, 2026 at Smyrna Opera House

Poetry Out Loud National Finals - April 27-29, 2026 - Washington D.C.

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Arts Access - Supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Organizations that receive General Operating Support are generally not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline – submit at least 6 weeks prior to the project start date.

Artist Opportunity - Grants provide up to $1,000 to support individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Next deadline: January 1.

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 – submit at least 6 weeks prior to start of the scheduled residency.

TranspARTation - Grants that support transportation costs (up to $500) for schools to bring students to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order to attend arts performances, events, and exhibits. Rolling deadline – submit at least 6 weeks prior to the field trip date.

Meet the Fellows

The prestigious Individual Artist Fellowships from the Delaware Division of the Arts recognize a variety of disciplines and outstanding quality of work. From writers to visual artists to musicians, these award-winning creatives have unique stories and talents.

To see the full listing of 2025's Individual Artist Fellows, visit https://arts.delaware.gov/iafrecipients/

Delaware Celebration

of Jazz

Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival

Rehoboth Beach

General Operating Support

Delaware Children's Theatre

2025/2026 Season

Wilmington

General Operating Support

Lewes Public Library

Fall and Winter Performance Series

Lewes

Project Support