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. 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

 

January 2022

The Clifford Brown Festival Orchestra performing on stage wearing all black suits with black button up shirts and ties, with the conductor in the front and center looking out at the audience, two saxophone players behind him, and a trombone player and two trumpet players out of focus in the background
Photo credit: Moonloop Photography

Cityfest, Inc.
Clifford Brown Year-Round
Wilmington
PS

Clifford Brown Year-Round showcases jazz musicians and other artists throughout the year in anticipation of the annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in June. Each month a new theme is explored through a concert or gathering. Past series events have featured a CD release for a local jazz artist, a birthday tribute to Clifford Brown, a Christmas concert, an exploration of love songs, a forum on advancing artists, and a jazz award ceremony to name a few. The series is open to the public and available virtually or in-person at various venues around the city. Clifford Brown Year-Round will continue in 2022 with a reprise of the best-selling concert from 2021, “How Do You Sing Love?” in February. In March, the series presents “New Generations, New Experiences, New Work,” an evening exploring new iterations of jazz and other art forms with everything from culinary experimentations to live painting. April’s show will be the 2nd Annual International Jazz Day Awards Concert. This year the concert features the Clifford Brown Festival Orchestra presenting Duke Ellington’s legendary Sacred Music Concert.

The Clifford Brown Year-Round series has impacted the arts community of Delaware and specifically Wilmington by providing employment for musicians and performers even during the pandemic–a time when the arts and culture sector was hit hardest and many musicians were without gigs. Since the series launched in the fall of 2020, it has employed 105 artists and provided access to their performances to the community for low or no-cost.

Cityfest, Inc., a City of Wilmington, Delaware-related, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, strives to improve the quality of life for citizens of Wilmington; promote economic development; and stimulate community vitalization primarily through cultural and arts programming, and other community service initiatives.

 

Division logoThe 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.