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, so we’ve set up a special section on DelawareScene.com for you to experience their work.
In 2024, the Division received work samples from 149 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. Seventeen artists were awarded fellowships in the following categories – two, Masters; seven, Established; and eight, Emerging. The seventeen selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Bridgeville, Claymont, Felton, Harrington, Lewes, Newark, Smyrna, and Wilmington.
Each year, the Biggs Museum of American Art, in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, exhibits the work of Delaware’s Artist Fellows at the Award Winners exhibition.
April 18 – July 28, 2024
Reception & Award Ceremony: April 18 from 5-8:30pm
August 3 – September 9, 2024
Reception: August 8 from 6-8pm
September 23 – October 31, 2024
Reception: Friday, October 4 from 5-7 pm
Wilmington
Music: Composition
“I strive for music that transports the listener, with expression and connection paramount, and to reach both seasoned concertgoers and newcomers.”
Wilmington
Jazz: Performance
“I fell in love with jazz music the moment I heard the song Nature Boy.”
Arden
Visual Arts: Sculpture
“The actual creation of a work of art is a natural wonder.”
Dover
Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary
“I enjoy knowing that tomorrow is a new day. I enjoy starting afresh with the hope of discovery and inspiration.”
Wilmington
Jazz: Composition
“I want my music to encourage children and adults to take a moment and embrace the diversity that Delaware offers.”
Wilmington
Visual Arts: Photography
“My art is a profound reflection of the diverse and intricate layers that shape the Black experience. Central to my artistic philosophy is authenticity.”
Rehoboth Beach
Literature: Fiction
“I continue to be fascinated by the relationship between magic and fiction, and how they’re both rooted in mystery and wonder.”
Lewes
Literature: Creative Nonfiction
“I approach my writing as I once did sculpture, cleaning it up, cleaning it up, cleaning it up, until I can see the final form.”
Rehoboth Beach
Visual Arts: Painting
“My oldest sister took me for a pony ride. When I came home, I asked for pencil and paper. I’ve been drawing ever since.”
Wilmington
Literature: Poetry
“I write poems because they suit my sensibilities as a writer, and if the form hadn’t been invented, I’d be here in my living room wondering if I ought to be the brave one to do it.”
Newark
Visual Arts: Crafts
“I love telling stories, and making art is one more way I can do that. I also love breathing new life into discarded materials.”
Wilmington
Music: Composition
“When someone says they really understand what I’m saying, the world seems just a little less lonely than it did before.”
Long Neck
Literature: Fiction
“I fell in love with reading as a preschooler and with writing as a means of further exploring the storybook worlds I loved best.”
Wilmington
Visual Arts: Works on Paper
“I feel a deep sense of responsibility to contribute to the celebration of black culture and highlight important aspects of daily life, capturing the richness and dignity of represented black bodies.”
Dover
Visual Arts: Painting
“My work documents a search for visual novelty through an application of incongruent materials, techniques, and color schemes.”
Wilmington
Music: Contemporary Performance
“I want to put out music that brings communities together, not music that tears them apart.”
Dover
Literature: Poetry
“What draws me to poetry is its brevity and the beauty of each word.”
Wilmington
Literature: Creative Nonfiction
“Writing is painting with words, and I feel rewarded when I am able to get beyond stick figures, conveying something full-bodied.”
Newark
Dance: Choreography
“My hope is to replicate the thought-provoking and uplifting conversations I have with people through my choreography.”
Newark
Folk Art: Visual Arts
“Creativity, imagination, and perspective are my most essential skills in my design process.”
The Division offers fellowships in the artistic disciplines of choreography, folk art, jazz, literature, media arts, music, and visual arts. Artists’ work samples are reviewed by nationally recognized out-of-state arts professionals, considering both demonstrated creativity and skill in the art form.
The awards—$5,000 for Emerging Artists, $8,000 for Established Professionals, and $12,000 for Masters—allow artists to pursue advanced training, purchase equipment and materials, or fulfill other needs that will help advance their careers.
The highest honor—the Masters Fellow—is reserved for those who meet rigorous criteria. Only one Masters Fellow can be awarded each year. Disciplines rotate every three years.
During the fellowship year, recipients are required to showcase their work in a public exhibit or performance in Delaware
For more details about the Individual Artist Fellowship program, please visit our Grants for Artists page.
Fellowship Home
Carvel State Office Building
820 North French Street,
4th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801
302.577.8278 |
302.577.6561
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