Wide banner featuring five artworks side by side: a dense mosaic-style collage, a bright abstract mixed-media composition, a mural of a person holding a lantern, a modern gallery atrium with colorful hanging sculptures, and a fantasy scene of winged figures in front of a moon

Delaware’s Individual Artist Fellowships recognize artists for their outstanding quality of work and provide monetary awards. Individual Artist Fellows are publicly acknowledged and benefit from the additional exposure to their work. Fellows are required to showcase their work in a public exhibition or performance. 

For 2026, the Division received work samples from 246 Delaware choreographers; composers; musicians; writers; and folk, media, and visual artists. The work samples were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals who considered the demonstrated creativity and skill in each artist’s respective art form. Twenty-seven artists were selected for fellowships across three categories—1 Master Fellow, 14 Established Fellows, and 12 Emerging Fellows—and the Division also named 5 runners-up, each of whom will receive an honorarium. The twenty-seven selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Georgetown, Middletown, Bear, Townsend, Newark, Magnolia, Bethany Beach, New Castle, Rehoboth Beach, Farmington, Lewes, Milford, Smyrna, and Wilmington.

The work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XXVI, which kicks off at the Biggs Museum of American Art and will travel statewide.

 

Meet the Artist Fellows

Masters Professional

Headshot of a man in a black fedora and jacket against a red-and-orange background.

Dennis Beach

Wilmington
Visual Arts: Sculpture

Established Professional

Headshot of a woman in black glasses, indoors.

Catharine Fichtner

Wilmington
Visual Arts: Painting

Smiling man with a gray beard and round glasses in front of an abstract patterned wall.

Michael Fleishman

Milford
Visual Arts: Works on Paper

Headshot of a person with closely cropped hair and a septum ring, wearing a black top and a long necklace with a round pendant, standing in front of a softly blurred brick wall.

Yalonda JD Green

Wilmington
Literature: Poetry

Headshot of a smiling man with white hair and glasses, wearing a tan blazer over a multicolored plaid shirt, with a softly blurred background.

Jim Hawkins

Smyrna
Literature: Playwriting

Headshot of a man with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a navy blazer over a purple shirt, smiling gently against a light gray background.

Jawanza Kobie

Wilmington
Jazz: Composition

Portrait of a smiling woman with long brown hair holding a violin and bow, wearing a light top and blue skirt against a dark background.

Erin Magnin

Newark
Music: Contemporary Performance

Alt text (recommended): Headshot of a man with short dark hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a teal button-down shirt and a blue hoodie, looking at the camera against a neutral indoor background.

Jonathan Chaiim McConnell

New Castle
Literature: Fiction

Portrait of a smiling man with a short beard standing outdoors with his arms crossed, wearing a gray-and-black polo shirt, with a softly blurred green background.

Teddy Osei

New Castle
Visual Arts: Crafts

Headshot of a smiling woman with curly hair wearing light-colored glasses and a yellow floral blouse, photographed outdoors with a softly blurred green background.

Martha B. Pitts

Middletown
Literature: Creative Nonfiction

Close-up headshot of a smiling man with blond hair, black rectangular glasses, and a full reddish-blond beard, wearing a blue plaid shirt indoors.

Alan B. Tuttle

Lewes
Visual Arts: Painting

a man in a black suit with glasses playing the drums

Jonathan Whitney

Wilmington
Music: Compostion

Man outdoors beside a professional film camera, holding two water bottles.

Brian Wild

Wilmington
Media Arts: Video/Film

Portrait of a smiling woman leaning on a grand piano, wearing a red-and-black patterned top, photographed indoors with a stone wall and window softly blurred in the background.

Rebecca Wilt

Newark
Music: Solo Recital

Portrait of a smiling man in a dark suit with a pink-and-blue striped tie, standing indoors near a staircase. Alt text (short):

Andre’ Wright, Jr.

Wilmington
Visual Arts: Photography

Emerging Professional

Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with long dark hair and bangs, wearing a black top and a septum ring, photographed outdoors near a brick wall with climbing greenery.

Itzel Aguilar

Georgetown
Folk Art: Visual Arts

Photo of a smiling man with long hair pulled back and a goatee, wearing a black button-down shirt and sunglasses on his head, posing indoors with hands raised in a playful stance near a large window.

J.F. Arsenault

Rehoboth Beach
Visual Arts: Painting

Headshot of a smiling woman wearing glasses and a black turtleneck, photographed outdoors at night with colorful city lights blurred in the background.

Deborah E. Baker

Bethany Beach
Literature: Fiction

Close-up portrait of a person wearing large black-framed glasses and an eyebrow piercing, with short curly hair and shaved sides, photographed outdoors with greenery softly blurred behind them.

Hadrian Cerulean

Wilmington
Literature: Poetry

Studio headshot of a person with short brown hair wearing round glasses and a septum ring, dressed in a black top against a gray backdrop.

Logan Farro

Farmington
Visual Arts: Painting

Studio portrait of a bearded person with a septum ring wearing a black button-down shirt, arms crossed, against a light gray background.

Vik Hart

Wilmington
Visual Arts: Works on Paper

Headshot of a person with short curly hair wearing blue-framed glasses and a bright blue shirt, photographed indoors in front of shelves of colorful folded fabric.

Susan Isaacs

Wilmington
Visual Arts: Sculpture

Portrait of a smiling woman with long light-brown hair wearing glasses and a black top, photographed against a light gray background.

Valerie Lane

Bear
Literature: Creative Nonfiction

Portrait of a smiling man with short curly hair and round glasses wearing a light blue varsity jacket over a white shirt, against a light blue background.

Orlando Lewis (aka Raylo)

Townsend
Music: Composition

Black-and-white studio portrait of a smiling woman with a long ponytail, wearing a dark zip-front jacket over a fitted dress, posing with one hand on her hip against a plain gray backdrop.

Adaysela Reyes (aka Dayesla Ixtli)

Newark
Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary

Close-up selfie of a person with short dark hair and a full beard, wearing a tan hoodie with a cream-colored hood, indoors with a galaxy-pattern tapestry on the wall behind them.

Jonathan Rivera (aka J Pvpi)

Magnolia
Music: Contemporary Performance

Black-and-white close-up portrait of a bald person with a full beard, gazing slightly upward against a dark, textured background.

David Warren Norbut

Wilmington
Visual Arts: Photography

Runners-Up

Cassandra Lewis Slattery

Wilmington
Established, Literature, Creative Nonfiction

Carly Maiorano

Wilmington
Emerging, Visual Arts: Painting

Jennifer Polillo

Wilmington
Established, Visual Arts: Painting

Jennifer Small

Wilmington
Established, Visual Arts: Painting

Justin Tanksley

Middletown
Established, Music: Contemporary Performance

About the Fellowship

The Division awards fellowships in choreography, folk art, jazz, literature, media arts, music, and visual arts. Work samples are evaluated by out-of-state arts professionals based on creativity and skill. Awards range from $5,000 (Emerging Artists) to $8,000 (Established Professionals) to $12,000 (Masters), supporting training, equipment, materials, or other career-advancing needs. The Masters Fellow designation—limited to one recipient annually on a rotating three-year discipline cycle—represents the program’s highest honor. Recipients must present their work publicly in Delaware during the fellowship year. Since 2020, the program has awarded over $950,000 to Delaware artists.

For more details about the Individual Artist Fellowship program, please visit our Grants for Artists page.

 

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