Each month we feature arts and community-based organizations and their programs and projects funded by the Delaware Division of the Arts in our Arts Spotlight which will be included on our monthly e-newsletter, Arts E-News and online. If you haven’t signed up yet for Arts E-News, please do so here.

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 (1999 to present), please visit our Grants Awarded page.

Grant Types: GOS – General Operating Support; PS – Project Support

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April 2024

 

Jester Artspace
Movable Murals for Mental Mobility
Arden
General Operating Support

Parents and caregivers for those with limited cognitive development opportunities will learn to design and paint easily transportable fantasy environments (murals). These constructed worlds are meant to ‘belong to’ and travel with the person for whom they are fabricated, to anywhere that person might like to experience them. They are fun, they are educational, they are pretty…but most of all, they are beautiful tools for the enrichment of processing skills. We will discuss the benefits of imagination play, situational control, creativity, and sensory suggestion to the learning process. We will also talk about how inexpensive it can be to create your own fun, timeless assistive technology, and the general unattractiveness of medical/therapeutic/educational environments. Attendees will learn to create their own murals during this workshop (don’t wear your dress clothes) as well as interact with their children or patients on a new level. This session, led by Tracey Landmann, is funded by a grant from the National League of American Pen Women, developed with assistance from the Delaware Division of Arts, and is COMPLETELY FREE to participants. All materials will be provided.

Jester Artspace engages, inspires, and connects our community through the arts. We are an essential local resource that generates creative energy by providing opportunities for all people to engage with one another and explore the arts. Our unique history and presence in the Brandywine Hundred is valued and supported by our actively involved community.

To register visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/movable-murals-for-mental-mobility-tickets-858545882847

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Southern Delaware Chorale
Choral Hills Billboard Concert
Rehoboth Beach
General Operating Support

Under the new direction of Collaborative Conductors, Joseph Shortall and Sarah Rose, the Southern Delaware Chorale will be presenting, “Choral Hits Billboard” on May 5, 2024 at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, DE at 3:00 P.M. This concert is a walk through music history from the medieval period through the contemporary. The audience will be immersed in the styles of each period, culminating with the more modern and diverse contemporary composers that are present now. Some recognized choral hits are “Kyrie Eleison” by Haydn, “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana, “Jesu, Joy of man’s Desiring” by J.S. Bach, “Sure on this Shining Night”, a beautiful piece by Samuel Barber, sung by the Ensemble, “Simple Gifts” by Aaron Copland, “Sing Gently” by the famous Eric Whitacre and finally “Still I Rise” a contemporary gospel piece composed by black composers, William and Rosephannye Powell. The Southern Delaware Chorale serves Sussex County, Delaware with audiences coming from Seaford to Bethany Beach to Rehoboth to Georgetown.

The Chorale has grown to nearly 65 members since the Covid-19 period where we were trying to just keep afloat. Many retirees are moving to Delaware from Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and other areas and are looking for a community choir to join and have found enjoyment being a part of the Southern Delaware Chorale. We have collaborated with various High Schools in the area, performed together and various events and offer a Lee Mitchell Music Scholarship for upcoming Juniors and Seniors in Sussex County. We have shown extreme collaboration with our black community by singing together at our February concerts. Many black organizations have participated in our concerts such as “Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice” and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, where the Chorale is a sponsor.

To learn more visit https://southerndelawarechorale.org/

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Four Youth 
Art in the Garden
Wilmington
Project Support

Art in the Garden is one of Four Youth’s (FY) latest initiatives for K-8 students from Thomas Edison Charter School in the City of Wilmington. Through this program, students explore and experiment with various artistic media, including infrared and UV photography, poured acrylic painting, paper making, and mixed media, all while gaining a deeper appreciation for the natural world. FY aims to create an engaging and inclusive learning environment that encourages students to explore their artistic talents and learn new skills. By connecting art and nature, we hope to create a transformative learning experience that will inspire and empower our students to become the next generation of artists and environmentalists. Art created during our program will culminate into an art exhibit open to the community on May 15th, 4PM to 6:30PM at Thomas Edison Charter School.

Established in 2013, Four Youth provides innovative STEAM education that directly integrates art with environmental science and engineering to youth in grades K-12. Our programs feature professional guidance from photographers, artists, and scientists, inspiring intellectual and creative growth. FY provides a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where youth from diverse backgrounds thrive during their formative years.

Throughout the 2023/2024 after-school programming, seventy K-8 students from Thomas Edison Charter School engaged weekly in our nature-inspired arts programs. We were privileged to host several guest artists, such as photographer Joe Del Tufo, muralist Amir Campbell, and the team from Frontline Paper. These collaborations have been instrumental in blending art with the natural environment, fostering curiosity and enhancing creativity among our students. This includes a multi-season project in which students harvested flowers from our Wildlife Sensory Garden in the fall, penned Haikus reflecting their connection to nature in the winter, and crafted handmade paper incorporating these elements in the spring. This immersive experience allowed students to explore, connect, and express themselves creatively. These projects, among others, will be showcased at our Art in the Garden exhibit in May, celebrating our students’ journey through art and nature.

To learn more visit www.fouryouth.org.

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The projects above are supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes these and other Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.

The Division offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities. View a full list of Division grants on the Grants Overview page.