Arts Spotlight written on a dark blue background with unfocused orbs of light

 

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.

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

February 2025

 

DelArt Spotlight Image

Delaware Art Museum
DelArt Nights: The Poetry As Activism Celebration
Wilmington
General Operating Support

February’s DelArt Night Poetry As Activism celebration showcases women poets and visual artists. This event is the culminating celebration of Dr. Traci Currie’s completion of the Poetry As Activism residency program at the University of Delaware in Spring 2024. Numerous collaborative programs and workshops, including a partnership with The Delaware Art Museum, were created during this time, thus the continued partnership to create space for women’s narratives across the cultural spectrum.

The celebration will explore activism through poetry performance readings and the Poetry as Activism art exhibition. Programming will also include a special dedication to Nikki Giovanni, one of the most influential poets and voices of our time. This reflective moment will pay tribute to a legend whose words have shaped generations. The dedication will be an intimate after-party featuring a curated playlist of Nikki Giovanni’s work. Mingle, connect, and celebrate her enduring impact in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere.

DelArt Nights is a monthly event where art, community, and creativity come together in fresh and exciting ways. From engaging gallery talks to live music and immersive experiences, no two nights are the same. Enjoy free general admission, a lively happy hour with a cash bar, and delicious food available for purchase. There’s always something new to experience at DelArt Nights!

The Delaware Art Museum connects people to art, offering an inclusive and essential community resource that through its collections, exhibitions, and programs, generates creative energy that sustains, enriches, empowers, and inspires. To learn more, visit https://delart.org/.

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Chapel Street Players
The Foxy Mrs. Bumpstead-Leigh
Newark
General Operating Support

CSP is celebrating our 90th Anniversary season and the third show of the season has special significance. The very first show that the group produced was in Mitchell Hall at the University of DE back in 1935! It was “Mrs. Bumpstead-Leigh” written by Harry James Smith, but unfortunately having been written in 1910, the dialogue was stilted and there were themes that are inappropriate for modern times.

In order to honor the first show, local playwright and CSP president, Scott F. Mason wrote an updated version called “The Foxy Mrs. Bumpstead-Leigh, keeping the basic plot but changing characters and modernixzing the story. This zany romantic-ish comedy is now set in 1976, and the bigger than life, titular character (and her ditzy mother) are British nobility finalizing the marriage of the younger sister to the son of a wealthy American matriarch. But, in the ever-twisting plot, nothing is at is appears. Add a scheming maid, a dutiful butler, clueless neighbors, a stoner, and an obnoxious headstone designer, and it can only take the cunningly quick-witted Mrs. Bumpstead-Leigh to save the day! CSP invites the entire Newark and surrounding community to come in from the cold and enjoy a night of fun, warmth, and laughter!

To learn more, visit: https://chapelstreetplayers.org/the-foxy-mrs-bumpstead-leigh/.

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.