Arts E-News

December 9, 2016
Paul Weagraff, Director
FY 2018 Grants Now Available!
The eGrant system is now open for all Division grant programs with a March 1, 2017 application deadline.  This includes the following grant programs for Delaware-based organizations:
Use the links above for more details on all programs and eligibility.  Questions should be directed to the appropriate Division staff member.
Holiday Happenings on DelawareScene.com

Holiday arts and culture events abound in Delaware, including Nutcrackers, holiday art markets, holiday themed shows, concerts, films, and more.  Visit the "Holiday Happenings" section of DelawareScene.com.


Image: Dylan Drace, 2015, 16.6" x 13.5", oil and acrylic, age 14, "Snowy Farm", 2016 National Arts Program in Delaware participant

2016 Delaware Creative Aging Workshop
The 2016 Delaware Creative Aging Workshop was held December 7 at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover. 

Artists and senior program coordinators learned about the emerging Creative Aging field and left the workshop with a framework to build effective and meaningful arts engagement programming to benefit Delaware's aging population.
2016 Writers' Retreat Recap



Twenty-two writers from around the state attended the Division's 2016 Delaware Seashore Poets and Prose Writers Retreat. One attendee summarized the experience: "Amazing weekend of focusing on writing and interacting with other writers. Did wonders for my confidence in my writing skills."

Workshop leaders, H.G. Carrillo and Diana Goetsch, received excellent feedback from participants. One writer wrote: "The quality of both teachers was stellar to the point of moving, especially in terms of their encouragement and sage advice regarding how to proceed as a writer." Participants also valued the opportunity to network with other writers, "Opened my eyes to many writing groups and events in Delaware--very excited about that!"
Meet the 2016 Artist Fellows
Each month, we present our artist fellows and provide a list of their upcoming public events and programs, where you can experience their work.
Joshua Meier
Established Professional, Visual Arts: Photography

Joshua Meier experiments with photographic processes and received the Fellowship for a body of work that used a 19th century process called wet-plate collodion. He is at work on a project called "ROUTES," inspired by his passion for bicycling which combines images and GPS data. Meier is the Head of Photography at St. Andrew's School in Middletown and his work has been exhibited regionally and nationally.  Read more

Meier's work will be featured in February 2017 in the Mezzanine Gallery.
Marketing and Communications Update

We've been busy promoting DelawareScene.com and wanted to take a moment to highlight some of our marketing efforts this year:
  • Launched updated mobile-responsive website in October
  • Facebook ad campaign from mid-October to early November
  • Comcast Spotlight pre-roll video ads
  • Geo-fencing campaign to drive awareness
  • Working with local tourism partners to establish event feeds to their respective websites
6th Annual Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition
Registration is now open for the Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition sponsored by The National Arts ProgramĀ® and the Division of the Arts. 

The exhibition is open to entries from current Delaware state employees and their immediate family members, and is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals in several categories. This is a free program designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.

The show will be on view for the general public from February 20 - March 13, 2017, with a reception and awards ceremony on Saturday, March 4 at the Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware State University in Dover. Learn more
On the Mezzanine
"Totem," 2016, watercolor, 22" x 30"
December

"Totem," a show of watercolor paintings by Sarah Yeoman, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from December 2-30, with an opening reception on Friday, December 2 from 5-7 p.m.
 
Yeoman is an award-winning watercolorist who paints a variety of subjects from landscapes to still lifes to city streets. "Totem" focuses exclusively on her paintings of crows and ravens. The artist spent years feeding and studying these birds, and the paintings explore her observations and relationships with them. For Yeoman, the birds represent a symbol of the unconscious, of our freer selves, and she is interested in how their narrative often mirrors our own. Watch the Meet the Artist video with Yeoman. 

   
The Mezzanine Gallery is open weekdays, 8 a.m.-  4:30 p.m. and is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.
Sign up here to receive Mezzanine Gallery email invitations for upcoming exhibits.
Opportunities (selected)
For more opportunities including grants, residencies, auditions, calls for artists, and jobs in the arts, visit the Division's  website .

Artist Opportunity Grant Deadline: January 3, 2017
This small competitive grant (up to $750) is intended to offset an artist's expenses for a specific unique presentation opportunity that is scheduled, or a discrete professional development opportunity. Examples include: materials to complete work for a specific show or program; the cost to rent a facility for a performance; study with a master for a specified period of time. In the application, the artist will need to explain how the opportunity is unique and how it will benefit their career as an artist.

Deadlines are quarterly, and the January deadline is for activities occurring between February 15, 2017 and May 15, 2017. Interested artists should review the information and guidelines . Artists should contact Roxanne Stanulis with questions or to discuss whether a specific project is eligible for consideration.
International/National/Regional Grant Deadlines
Division Grant Deadlines
  • Artist Opportunity: deadline 1/3/17, for activities happening between 2/15/17-5/15/17
  • 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: rolling deadline, submitted at least 6 weeks prior to field trip date
Calls for Artists
Professional Development & Networking Opportunities
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  artsdel.org  or call 302-577-8278 .