Save the Date: 2025 Delaware Arts Summit | | |
Agents of Change
Advancing New Ideas and Perspectives
Monday, October 27, 2025
Hotel Du Pont
42 W 11th St, Wilmington, DE 19801
Are you an artist, arts patron, or arts educator? Do you work in arts administration or arts programming? 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.
More information and registration details will be released in coming weeks!
| | 25th Annual Award Winners Ceremony - May 15 | | |
The Delaware Division of the Arts is thrilled to announce the exhibition, Award Winners XXV, marking the 25th consecutive year of hosting this exhibition in partnership with the the Biggs Museum of American Art. Showcasing the exceptional work of Delaware's Individual Artist Fellowship recipients, the exhibition will be on view from May 15 to September 14, 2025.
An opening reception, awards ceremony, and public performances will be held on May 15 from 5:30-7:30pm. The Opening is free to attend and promises to be an exciting celebration of artistic excellence.
| | Upcoming Board Training Available | | Join Spur Impact's inaugural Get on Board: Spur Service Program on Thursday, May 15! Whether you're new to nonprofit board service or looking to sharpen your skills, this one-day conference is designed for emerging leaders, current board members, and nonprofit executives. Expect workshops, panel discussions, and expert speakers to help you navigate board governance, leadership, and nonprofit impact. Plus, Spur Impact will help connect attendees with nonprofit boards in need of passionate leaders! | | Recap on National Poetry Month! | | |
National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.
Below read statements from our poets about what poetry has meant to them.
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Congratulations to Olivia Stevens
A round of applause to Olivia Stevens, Delaware’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud: State Champion, who proudly represented the First State at the national competition in Washington, D.C. on May 6! Olivia advanced to the semi-final round, delivering powerful performances that showcased her talent, poise, and deep connection to the art of spoken word.
While she didn’t move on to the final round, Olivia made Delaware proud—bringing heart, voice, and authenticity to the national stage. During her time in D.C., she also had the opportunity to meet with Congresswoman Sarah McBride and the staff of U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester to talk about the importance of the arts and poetry in education.
| | | Delaware CreatiVeterans Program Continuesa | | We invite you to learn more about Delaware CreatiVeterans, a pilot program offering free arts enrichment classes to veterans across the state. These eight-week courses are designed to foster creativity, connection, and lifelong learning through hands-on experiences in visual and performing arts. The program is part of a broader effort to explore how the arts can enrich the lives of those who’ve served. Below, you’ll find two powerful testimonial videos featuring participants who share what the program has meant to them. We hope their stories inspire you to explore more about CreatiVeterans and the impact of creative engagement. | | Upcoming Professional Development Webinar | | Musicians—whether classically trained virtuosos, jazz improvisers, pop performers, or anything in between—have unique business and community needs. These quarterly meet-ups are designed to provide practical, real-world financial insights specifically tailored for Delaware musicians, along with opportunities for collaboration, support, and community-building. The mission is to build financial knowledge and skills while fostering a vibrant, creative community within Delaware – like a green room where the backstage conversations are all about money. | | |
Workshop Title: Business Strategies
June 9 from 6-7:30pm
FREE!
Join us for this fourth (and final!) workshop for Delaware musicians where we talk business strategy -- What works, what doesn't, and what you can do to tweak yours to meet your goals.
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On the Mezzanine -
Shefon Taylor
The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present The Fragment Holds More Than the Whole, a solo exhibition of collage works by Delaware artist Shefon N. Taylor. The show will be on view from May 2 to May 30, 2025.
In The Fragment Holds More Than the Whole, Taylor uses found vintage magazine and book imagery, tracing paper, and thread to reframe our understanding of archives, memory, and identity. Rather than seeking to reconstruct or restore wholeness, Taylor’s work engages the fragment as a dynamic site of presence and possibility. Each piece becomes an act of negotiation—inviting viewers to confront the spaces between what is seen and unseen, remembered and forgotten, complete and incomplete.
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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/
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Ananya Goswami
Established, Dance: Choreography
“I strongly believe that art transcends borders, binding us together with its magical, healing, and therapeutic properties.”
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Makeda Hampton
Music: Solo Recital
“My inspiration is rooted in the desire to elevate the voices and stories of my ancestors, blending classical vocal music with the rich musical traditions of the African Diaspora."
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Capital Ringers
MIlford
General Operating Support
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Southern Delaware Chorale
Rehoboth Beach
General Operating Support
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Wilmington Alliance
Wilmington
Project Support
| | | | 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. | | | | |
