The Delaware Division of the Arts, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, has developed a grant program to support organizations and jobs in the arts sector that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the value of the arts to the economy and the creative life of our communities, the grants will assist Delaware’s nonprofit arts organizations with daily operations and artists with community-focused artwork creation and presentation. The deadline to apply is November 1, 2021. Read more.

National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is an annual coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. It's a chance for communities across the United States to come together in a unified celebration of the power of the arts to make a difference and change our lives for the better.

Announcing The Arts Organizations at a Crossroads Toolkit: Managing Transitions and Preserving Assets

The Arts Organizations at a Crossroads Toolkit: Managing Transitions and Preserving Assets is written and developed by Mollie Quinlan-Hayes and published by NCAPER, the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response.

Americans for the Arts is conducting a new, 5-10 minute anonymous survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on the employment of artists and creative workers, their ability to access unemployment assistance, and the impact of that on their lives. The information gathered will supplement previous research conducted by Artist Relief and Americans for the Arts in 2020 and early 2021 regarding the impact of COVID-19 and the economic shutdown on artists and creative workers, and it will be used to inform policy and advocacy efforts, as well as to document the crisis for the future.

Americans for the Arts is asking artists or creative workers who earn revenue through their creative practice to take the completely anonymous, short survey. The deadline to complete the survey is October 15, 2021.

In addition to the survey mentioned above for artists and creative workers, Americans for the Arts is also building a database of projects that use American Rescue Plan block grants to support arts and culture. They are asking arts organizations who are working with their state, county, city, tribal government, or U.S. Territory to secure American Rescue Plan block grants to fill out this form. The database will provide examples of projects for organizations looking to complete similar projects in their communities.

Images: Moon To Heart, 2020, acrylic, 24" x 36" and I Want Purple Rain, 2021, acrylic, 24" x 18"

Art Imitates My Life and Inspires Young Artists, an exhibition of paintings by Theresa Angela Taylor, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery through October 29, 2021. Taylor is the recipient of a 2021 Emerging Artist Fellowship in Folk Arts: Visual Arts from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Growing up in Harlem, Taylor was enveloped in art, music, creativity and activism. Her father and grandfather were both artists; her father was a painter and her grandfather a musician during the Harlem Renaissance. Other early influences came from artists like Pablo Picasso, Jacob Lawrence, Banksy, Georgia O’Keeffe and Kara Walker; from Motown musicians like Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Smoky Robinson; and from civil rights activists like Malcolm X, Angela Davis and Nikki Giovanni. Her artwork is also informed by her encounters in everyday life. “News, kids, interesting things I read or see, my own thoughts,” she says. But what inspires her most is “Life and spreading positive energy through visual expression.”

With this exhibition, she chose the title and pieces because they collectively mirror her life’s direction. “Each piece talks about my life,” she says. “You see a representation of who I am; images of my ancients; my work with children in Dover, Delaware; even the insurrection at the Capitol. I want my audience to know…how I feel about my characters, the things that are important to me, and the message that the country is telling me as a Black woman in the United States.”

For more information about Theresa Angela Taylor and her upcoming exhibition, watch her Meet the Artist video.

Dr. Jamē McCray

2021 Established Professional Fellow, Literature: Creative Nonfiction

Unlike many writers, Terry Miller did not grow up with books. She was raised in a deeply troubled home where books were “not on high on the priority list.” Upon discovering the world of books, Miller “read for both the child within me . . . and the young woman I was becoming. I am an accidental writer. Reading taught me how to write.” Read more.

USArtists International supports performances by U.S. dance, music, and theater solo artists and ensembles invited to perform at important cultural festivals and performing arts marketplaces anywhere in the world outside the United States and its territories. This grant program has recently expanded to accept applications for virtual performances (live-streamed or pre-recorded) at eligible international festivals. USArtists International grantees reflect the vibrant diversity of U.S. artists and creative expression in the performing arts. The next program deadline is December 1, 2021. To learn more about the program, read the program guidelines, or view additional details, please visit Mid Atlantic Arts Foundations website.

The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is part of the Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network and managed in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance. This grant program aims to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma as well as their families and caregivers through support of non-clinical arts engagement projects. Matching grants of $10,000 to $50,000 are available to eligible organizations for emerging and established projects that take place after July 1, 2022. Deadline for applications: December 15, 2021. Read the full press release for more information.

Guidelines, eligibility requirements, and the application are available on the Mid-America Arts Alliance's website here.

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 recommends that organizations, businesses, and individual artists submit their 2021 and 2022 events as soon as they are scheduled, and no later than the recommended deadlines below. Submit now.

October - December 2021

January & February 2022

March & April 2022

May & June 2022

July & August 2022

September & October 2022

As soon as possible

November 1, 2021

January 1, 2022

March 1, 2022

May 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

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.