2019 Arts Summit Keynote Speaker Announced!
Alysia Lee
Founder & Artistic Director,
Sister Cities Girlchoir
On Monday, October 28, 2019, the Delaware Arts Summit will bring Delaware’s arts community together for a day of speakers, workshops, performances, and networking. The Delaware Division of the Arts is excited to announce that our Keynote Speaker for the event will be Alysia Lee , Founder & Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir.
 
Inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema, Alysia Lee launched Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG) as a girl empowerment choral academy in 2012. Starting with a dozen young women, the girlchoir movement grew to serve hundreds of girls across three cities: Philadelphia, Camden, and Baltimore. Armed with a clear vision for community building, a set of dedicated stakeholders, and the power of the arts, SCG has made a lasting impact on the lives of the girls and families they serve. Alysia will explore a case study for artists and arts organizations seeking to build stronger community roots and elevate the creativity and innovation of their neighbors.
Every two years, the Delaware Division of the Arts presents the Arts Summit , the state’s preeminent arts conference. This event welcomes arts professionals and artists for professional development, performances, special activities, and networking. You don’t want to miss it!
 
We will also look back on 50 years of bringing the arts to life as we recognize anniversary milestones of the State Arts Council and the Division of the Arts.

Finally, this year we are also proud to present a special closing event in the afternoon - the Governor’s Awards for the Arts ! Mark your calendars now, and watch for more information in the coming weeks.
Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. School Registration opens on August 19. See more important dates below!

August 19, 2019
School Registration Opens
November 1, 2019
School Registration Closes
Oct.– Dec. 2019
Classroom/School Competitions
January 21, 2020
Deadline to Report School Winners
February 2020
State Semi-Finals
From the Director
The Delaware Division of the Arts and the arts sector are fortunate to have an administration and General Assembly who recognize the important role that the arts sector plays in the lives of all Delawareans. As you may have seen announced by the Delaware Arts Alliance, the Division received a $500,000 increase in the FY2020 budget, with the express purpose of identifying arts-based programs and projects that directly address the Governor’s priorities. These include: better schools for all Delaware children, a healthier Delaware, building strong communities, and strengthening Delaware’s economy.
 
In the coming weeks and months, the Division will be working with arts organizations throughout the state to develop mechanisms to assist them in working with high-needs schools, early childhood education, the healthcare sector, and community development initiatives. The Division staff is excited about this opportunity to expand the reach of the arts in Delaware through the wide array of organizations and artists already serving Delawareans in schools, early childhood centers, senior centers, and healthcare facilities.
 
We encourage you to reach out to us about programs you are currently providing, as well as those you’ve had on the back burner, just waiting for the opportunity to implement. This is a great time to think big about ways in which the arts can impact lives and communities in Delaware.
Mid Atlantic Arts Tour Engagements Announced
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation has awarded $95,090 in grants supporting 37 performing arts engagements through its 2019-2020 Mid Atlantic Tours program. The grants, awarded directly to presenting organizations, will support engagements by the following artists at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Learn more.
The Grand Opera House, Wilmington
  • Paige Hernandez, DC
  • Crys Matthews, VA

Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Wilmington
  • Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Ontario, Canada
Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington
  • Los Plenero de la 21, NY

The Freeman Stage, Selbyville
  • Paige Hernandez, DC
  • Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Ontario, Canada
Meet the Artist Fellows
Shannon Woodloe
Emerging Professional, Visual Arts: Photography
Shannon Woodloe is a storyteller, but instead of words she tells tales with her striking visual images. Woodloe works from “an essential appreciation for life, always looking to gain knowledge from it and then share it through my lens.” Recently she’s been creating her photographic narratives from the world and works of writers she admires. Read more .
Shawn Faust
Established Professional, Visual Arts: Painting
It’s a pretty sure bet that just about every color is beloved by Shawn Faust, whose artistic exploration and continual voyage of discovery is always informed by it. “No matter what object, landscape, portrait or non-representational form I am painting, I am always interested in representing it through the vitality of color.” Read more .
Award Winners Exhibition Opens August 3 at CAMP Rehoboth
The Award Winners group exhibition, featuring the 2019 Individual Artist Fellows, opens at CAMP Rehoboth on Saturday, August 3, with a reception from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will be on view until September 1. At the reception, there will be time to mingle and enjoy the art and refreshments in the gallery, followed a short program in the performance space. The program will include a reading by Master Fellow in Literature Billie Travalini, a performance by award-winning musician Shelley Kelley, and comments on art and environmental activism from G.W. Thompson.

The  Award Winners exhibition will next travel to Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Wilmington.
On the Mezzanine
The Realistic Colors of Art
 by Geraldo Gonzalez
Image: Hand Free Drawing of Art , 2019, colored pencils, 22" x 28"
“The Realistic Colors of Art,” an exhibition of drawings of public transportation by Wilmington artist Geraldo Gonzalez will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from August 2-30, 2019. The artist will host a free opening reception on Friday, August 2, from 5-8 p.m. and a closing reception on Friday, August 23, from 5-8 p.m.
 
Gonzalez is the recipient of a 2019 Individual Artist Fellowship in Folk Arts: Visual Arts. Gonzalez creates drawings that pulse with energy, spilling over with the excitement he feels about creating. Working mostly with colored pencils and in watercolor, he creates Technicolor worlds brimming with buses, trains, trolleys and subway lines.

For more about the artist, watch the Meet the Artist video.
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. 
Visitors to the Gallery should enter via the main doors on 9th and French Streets.
Featured Opportunities
Upcoming Exhibitor Events
See us at our exhibitor booth at the Millennial Summit, all-day on Tuesday, August 6, and the Ladybug Festival in Milford on Saturday, September 21, at 3 p.m.
State Arts Council Seeks New Members
The Delaware State Arts Council is seeking candidates to fill upcoming vacancies.

The Council serves as the advisory body to the Delaware Division of the Arts. The Council advises the Division of the Arts on matters of arts policy, funding for the arts, and other issues relevant to support for the arts in Delaware. Council members represent the state geographically and politically and are appointed on the basis of their interest and experience in the arts.

Council members serve as advocates for the arts, promoting and encouraging participation in and appreciation of the arts throughout the state. Council members must be residents of Delaware and are eligible to serve a renewable three-year term. The Council meets quarterly, rotating its meetings between the three counties. For more information on the Delaware State Arts Council, please read the DSAC History.

If you are interested in being considered for an appointment by the Governor to the Delaware State Arts Council, complete the Boards and Commissions Application, found on the Governor’s site, and return it to the Governor’s office. Please indicate “Board #0014: Delaware State Arts Council” on the application.
Upcoming Writers Conference
Saturday, August 17, Lewes Public Library

This free, day-long conference features workshops on a variety of writing-related topics from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. At lunchtime, Roxanne Stanulis from the Division of the Arts will talk about grants and opportunities for artists, followed by short readings from current Individual Artist Fellowship recipients in Literature.
 
On Friday, August 16, at 5 p.m., there will be a reading featuring Conference Workshop Presenters. Click here for more information and registration .
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 2019-2020 events as soon as they are scheduled, and no later than the recommended deadlines below. Submit now.
Event Date
September & October
November & December
January & February 2020
Submission Deadline
As soon as possible
September 15
November 15
Ongoing Division Grant Deadlines
Artist Opportunity: deadline 10/1/19, for activities happening between 11/15/19-2/15/2020.

Artist Residency: rolling deadline, submitted at least 6 weeks prior to start of scheduled residency

Artist Roster : rolling deadline.
Arts Access Grants: rolling deadline, submitted at least 6 weeks prior to project start date

TranspARTation Grant: Closed for 2018/19 school year. Please check back this fall for 2019-2020 funding.
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.