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

 

March 2022

Choir School of Delaware
Phenomenal Woman
Wilmington
GOS

Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Choir School of Delaware ‘s concert Phenomenal Woman, which will take place at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington on March 26 from 7 – 9pm. The concert title is inspired by the poem by Maya Angelou, which in turn, inspired composer Reena Esmail to write the piece of the same name. The repertoire amplifies the voices of women composers, including Dr. B.E. Boykin, and Alysia Lee, with choral pieces, such as Boykin’s, “Stardust” and Lee’s, “Say Her Name,” art songs, piano works, and poetry readings. “Phenomenal Woman, That’s me.”

The Choir School of Delaware provides a lifeline for local students and their families and has inspired audiences for more than 25 years. More than an exceptional intergenerational choir, it serves as a “community center that sings!” and provides superior music education, year-round academic support, opportunities for personal development, and access to community resources, creating a more equitable Wilmington. The award-winning after-school program transforms the lives of young people who benefit from exceptional professional-level choral training. Participants perform in uplifting public concerts that illustrate beautifully how art resonates throughout the community. The after-school program also fosters a sense of belonging among choristers and addresses the underlying causes of generational poverty. The Choir School is affordable to all, regardless of income.

Greenbank Mills & Philips Farm
Timeless Trades
Virtual
PS

Timeless Trades is structured to provide participants levels of skills in historic crafts and arts, often referring back to crafts past practiced on the site or created objects in Greenbank Mills & Philips Farm‘s collection. The site has a history of running successful hands-on programs and Timeless Trades is a new way to strategically focus past courses and concepts while introducing new ones. The next session will take place virtually on March 10, 2022 at 6pm. While Greenbank Mills & Philips Farm will be adding new courses regularly, the organization is also developing “core” courses that can be adapted for a variety of uses. These courses will be self-sustaining and can be repeated as often as needed and offered up to community groups, organizations, schools, and youth groups.

Greenbank Mill Associates, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Greenbank Mill National Historic District and expanding public knowledge of Red Clay Valley industrial, agricultural and social history through educational programming, recreational rental facilities, and community partnerships. It is the only place providing hands-on art and history-based programming within at least an eight-mile radius from the site and are accessible for those that are unable to get transportation to the city of Wilmington or further outside the area.

With programming being virtual (with plans to continue virtual aspects), Greenbank Mills & Philips Farm has been able to reach new audiences and potentially those with disabilities who were unable to attend programs in the past. Closed captioning can be provided on virtual programs and for those with physical disabilities, the virtual component allows them not to be limited in participating because of some restrictive parts of the historic site. Greenbank Mills is also looking to expand its Timeless Trades program further by connecting with schools, boy and girl scout troops, and home school households. We believe that many of these programs we have created can easily be adapted to fit the local curriculum and tie back to local history.

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.