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.
This year, the Division received work samples from 139 Delaware choreographers, composers, musicians, writers, folk and visual artists were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, considering demonstrated creativity and skill in their art form. The 19 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Dover, Lewes, Milford, Milton, Newark, New Castle, Rehoboth Beach 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.
The Award Winners Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Biggs Museum was held on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 to honor the 2020 Delaware Division of the Arts Fellowship recipients.
Wilmington
Folk Art: Music
“I believe music [and] children come through us and not from us. If one cannot play from the heart, technical prowess and theory knowledge are of little use, and I remind myself of this daily in practice and performance.”
Wilmington
Literature: Fiction
“In college I did a lot of historical research, and I found I was more interested in imagining the personal stories of the people I came across. That’s how a lot of my work still starts – photographs, old news articles – glimpses of real life that I can then run with.”
Milton
Literature: Creative Nonfiction
“I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember … I published a poem in the grade school newspaper in first grade, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Wilmington
Music: Solo Recital
“Sometimes when I’m in rehearsal, I look down at my instrument and think, ‘Wow…how did I get here?’ It’s been a wonderful and wild ride, singing my life song through the oboe.”
Dover
Visual Arts: Photography
“My great aunt passed away when I was seven and one of the items at her house was . . . a mint green plastic box camera. I asked if I could have it and spent the summer photographing all of my friends.”
Wilmington
Folk Art: Music
“I tend to think of music as a prayer. Sure, I like a good dance tune, but I am most at peace when music is produced with the acknowledgement of something bigger than myself.”
Dover
Visual Arts: Sculpture
“My goal is . . . to create works that electrify, inspire, unify all people, and leave the world with some added beauty.”
Lewes
Visual Arts: Works on Paper
“There is no stasis in nature, but paradoxically, despite [its] change at work, the natural world provides the opportunity to experience moments of deep stillness like no other.”
Wilmington
Visual Arts: Painting
“Researching exactly the right colors and combinations of colors to express non-verbal feelings and memories is indescribably sweet.”
Wilmington
Literature: Poetry
“Writing poetry is much more about process than product . . . There’s a stillness and a peace to being in this space. I’m more aware and feel more connected to the earth.”
Milton
Visual Arts: Crafts
“I have affection for all wood species and the character of their fascia or grain. Wood is such a generous medium.”
Wilmington
Jazz: Composition
“I strive to take the listener on a journey through the use of contrasting textures, layering colors and lines, like a painter layers pigment. I invite all aspects of my life to inform my compositions and my compositional process.”
Rehoboth Beach
Literature: Creative Nonfiction
“Beginning a piece without knowing exactly what I’m writing about is daunting, but I find if I keep putting words on paper, the theme has a way of emerging.”
Lewes
Literature: Fiction
“I am enamored by . .. folklore, myth and fairy tales in my stories. As far as I’m concerned, nothing beats the all-engrossing, wide-eyed magic of a good yarn.”
Dover
Literature: Fiction
“I’ve written poems since I can remember. I think my mother still has a few from when I just learned how to write. I was fascinated by words and how beautiful or scary they could sound.”
Milford
Visual Arts: Works on Paper
“A whole career doing painting and drawing has led me to the recycling bins . . . a corrugated road paved with egg crates, moving containers, cereal boxes, pizza rounds, and mysterious scraps rescued from the here and there.”
Wilmington
Visual Arts: Painting
“Color has always been the source of my intrigue with painting. I mimic the restless and flitting qualities of light.”
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—$3,000 for Emerging Artists, $6,000 for Established Professionals, and $10,000 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
Related Topics: arts fellowship, emerging artist, fellowship, individual artist fellow, individual artist fellowship, literary arts, visual arts
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