The Delaware Division of the Arts will be developing guidelines for the awarding of these funds. Grant opportunities will be posted on the Division’s website at https://arts.delaware.gov/grant-overview and on the Division’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ArtsDelaware.

I am pleased to announce that the Division of the Arts has a new Marketing/Communications program officer! After an extensive search, we are fortunate to have Kaitlin Ammon join us as the newest member of the staff.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Kaitlin returned to the east coast after spending the past 10 years in Texas. Most recently, Kaitlin served as the Site Manager of the Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site, a site owned and operated by the Texas Historical Commission, for eight years after spending two years as the site’s curator and interpreter. Before that, Kaitlin worked at Pennsbury Manor as an Education Intern and the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks as an Education Intern and the Visitor Services Internship Coordinator. Kaitlin earned her master’s degrees in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University and Museum Education from The University of the Arts and her bachelor’s degree in History with a dual concentration in Public History and Social Studies Education from Mercyhurst University.

With the Division’s new strategic plan set for implementation this summer, Kaitlin’s arrival is none too soon! We are excited about sharing the full findings of the strategic planning process, the plan itself, and the aspirations we have for reaching new audiences, engaging untapped creative enterprises, and expanding our commitment to access and inclusion.

I would be remiss too, if I didn’t give a shout out to Roxanne Stanulis who was an invaluable asset during the interim. We are all glad to have Kaitlin with us, but I’m sure no one more so than Roxanne!

This year 14 Delaware students were honored nationally by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Coordinated by the Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware State University, the Delaware Division of the Arts, and the National League of American Pen Women (Diamond State Branch), teens in grades 7-12 from across the state participated in this highly competitive program each year. They could apply in 28 categories of art and writing. In June 2021, the National Gold Medalists will be honored during a special virtual awards ceremony.

Thank you to the following poets and students for sharing poetry in April National Poetry Month! View their poems on our website and other digital content on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For a full listing of local poetry events occurring in Delaware throughout the year, visit https://www.delawarescene.com/feature/8/literature-poetry

Andromeda #33, painted canvas, wood, and masonite, 32 x 32 x 4 inches

Combines: The Andromeda Series, an exhibition of wall sculptures by Jack Knight, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from May 7–28, 2021. Knight is the recipient of a 2021 Artist Fellowship in Sculpture from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Knight calls these works “combines” because he combines canvas, wood, and masonite into sculptural painted constructions that hang on the wall. The exhibition features thirteen combines, each measuring approximately 3 feet by 3 feet. The Andromeda Series was inspired by the 1971 science fiction thriller film, The Andromeda Strain, and the Andromeda galaxy.

These colorful three-dimensional works are created based on triangular forms that Knight builds at the beginning of the work. He then adds hand-painted round canvases and wood shapes to the form. Afterwards, he adds small embellishments to the composition for visual interest and balance. Learn more with the Meet the Artist video.

2021 Established Professional Fellow, Visual Arts: Painting

Eberle is a portrait painter of objects, achieving his distinctive dramatic style through strong composition, simplicity of focus, and a pristine, confident technique born of a lifetime of experience. In high school, he took drafting classes, where he learned perspective. But it was his career in retail that gave him an artist’s eye. Read more. 

Award Winners XXI Exhibition

The Award Winners outdoor concert and award ceremony will be held at the Biggs Museum of American Art, Dover. The event has been split into two days with different sets of performers on each day. Admission to both concerts is free, but registration to each concert is required to reserve a socially-distanced spot on the Biggs' lawn. For more information on each concert and to register for tickets, please visit each event's calendar listing below.

Selections from the Award Winners exhibition will later travel to CAMP Rehoboth, Rehoboth.

The "America the Beautiful" art show is the brainchild of Mary Williams, who owns a fine art gallery in Boulder, Colorado. Ms. Williams and her staff are dedicated to supporting local and national art awareness. On May 31, art will reach a vast audience in each state, including Delaware! Ten paintings executed in and featuring Delaware scenery will be on the national stage.

Beam, widely recognized as a plein air painter, views painting outdoors as an "optional way to see three dimensional objects, the subtleties of light and shadow, atmospheric perspective, and real colors." Beam is included in "100 Mid Atlantic Painters," published by Shiffer, and "Brandywine Reflections," by Gene Pisasale, as an artist helping to preserve the Brandywine traditions. She's been featured in HUNT Magazine 2019 and multiple digital platforms including Outdoor Painter, the home of Plein Air Magazine.

Mark May 31 on your calendar to see the state of Delaware represented in "America the Beautiful" at www.marywilliamsfinearts.com.

For the most current news and information on COVID-19 in the State of Delaware, visit:

For up-to-date information on COVID-19-related funding opportunities, as well as general funding opportunities, follow the Delaware Division of the Arts on Facebook and Twitter.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is currently accepting online applications for more than $16 billion in grants for performing arts centers, movie theaters, and museums that have been shut down during the pandemic. Venues may qualify for grants valued at 45% of their gross earned revenue up to a maximum of $10 million. $2 billion in funding is reserved for applicants with 50 or fewer full-time employees.

The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts is currently accepting applications for fall and winter in-person residencies at its Mt. San Angelo location in Amherst, Virginia. Apply now to be considered for a Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Creative Fellowship, supported by Mid Atlantic Arts, or one of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts' many other fully-funded fellowship opportunities.

Authors, visual artists, or composers residing in Delaware and West Virginia should apply directly to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts through its regular application process to be eligible for the Creative Fellowship. A limited number of applicants selected for residencies will be recommended for Creative Fellowships support. For more information on and to apply to the artist residencies, visit the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts' website.

You can learn more about the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's Creative Fellowship grants here.

Special Presenter Initiatives support the presentation of professional performing artists in all disciplines at venues, cultural series, and festivals in Delaware, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and West Virginia.

Nonprofit presenters in DC, DE, and WV can request up to $2,000 of fee subsidy support, and up to $5,000 for presenters in the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus additional support to cover project expenses. Proposed artists can be from anywhere worldwide. For program guidelines and application information, visit MAAF Special Presenters Initiatives.

The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant 2021 application is now open to all writers who meet the eligibility and publishing requirements, with an application deadline of Wednesday, May 19, 11:59 ET. The grant supports emerging and established writers who write about contemporary visual art. Writers are invited to apply for grants in one of three categories – articles, books, and short-form writing – that range from $15,000 to $50,000 to support projects that address both general and specialized art audiences. The grants are intended to cover costs associated with research and writing, not design and production. For more information, visit www.artswriters.org.

Each month we feature a handful of arts and community-based organizations and their programs and projects funded by the Delaware Division of the Arts. Funding for Division of the Arts grants is provided by the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. To view past grants awarded (2000 to present), please visit our Grants Awarded page.

The Division has embarked on a year-long digital advertising campaign to increase reach and engagement on DelawareScene.com. We remind and recommend that organizations, businesses, and individual artists submit their 2021 events as soon as they are scheduled, and no later than the recommended deadlines below. Submit now

Do you have an exciting arts program, project, or story to share? Are you interested in being interviewed, either to promote an upcoming event, your work in the arts, or an issue relevant to Delaware’s arts and entertainment sector? Send an email to delarts@delaware.gov with "DE State of the Arts Podcast" in the subject line.

Please note: All applications for grants must be submitted through smARTDE.

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.