The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present For Granted, a solo exhibition of new work by Christopher L. Starr. The exhibition will be on view from February 6-27, 2026, with an opening reception on Friday, February 6, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. in the Mezzanine Gallery, located in the Carvel State Office Building at 820 N. French Street in Wilmington.
In For Granted, Starr turns his attention to the everyday scenes we often pass without notice – reframing them with visual clarity, color, and a quiet sense of humor. The series invites viewers to linger with the familiar and reconsider what “ordinary” can hold when given weight, intention, and a careful eye for composition.
Anchored in Delaware and attentive to the visual noise of the built environment, For Granted finds meaning in the human-made details that shape daily life, then edits that “chaos” into clean, eye-catching compositions. Starr describes the series as an effort to give added weight and substance to scenes many people overlook, with moments of humor and images designed to prompt a second look. Color is central to the collection’s impact, and his recent work increasingly treats the arrangement of color as the primary compositional engine, informed in part by the influence of American photographers, Joel Sternfeld, Saul Leiter, and William Eggleston.
Starr’s relationship with photography began in 1984 at Wilmington College, where an unexpected course set him on a decades-long path of learning and experimentation. Over time, he honed his craft through steady practice – training his eye through repeated work and sustained observation. A significant chapter of that development unfolded at Mt. Cuba Center, where the gardens served as an early creative laboratory and the encouragement he received helped shape his confidence and direction.
In the mid-2000s, Starr pivoted away from macro-focused garden photography and began pursuing work rooted in place, memory, and the lived environment – drawing creative energy from family life, travel, and a renewed commitment to photographing Delaware. While much of his earlier work centered on black-and-white imagery, his recent practice has shifted decisively into color, where the arrangement and interplay of color often carries as much meaning as subject matter.
The Mezzanine Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
About the Artist
Christopher L. Starr is a Delaware-based photographer whose practice began in 1984 while studying at Wilmington College, where an unexpected audiovisual course sparked a lifelong pursuit of image-making. Through years of disciplined experimentation – learning by doing, refining his technical approach, and “training” his eye – Starr developed his voice while working at Mt. Cuba Center, where the gardens and quiet moments became a formative creative laboratory, supported and encouraged by Mrs. Copeland. In the mid-2000s, he shifted away from macro work and toward a more expansive, place-driven approach shaped by family, travel, and a renewed commitment to photographing Delaware itself. Today, his work continues to evolve into a vibrant color-forward palette, emphasizing the arrangement and interplay of color as much as subject—an ongoing exploration he is now sharing more publicly.
Images in the banner: “Country Fresh” (2025), photograph, 1080×692. “Power Pass” (2023), photograph, 6.833”x4.31”. “Union Street 1” (2024), photograph, 1080×682.
The Mezzanine Gallery, located in the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington, features one-person exhibitions of Delaware artists in disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, folk, and media arts.
To be considered for an exhibition, artists may submit a Mezzanine Gallery Application before the annual deadline of March 15.
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. Visual artists who receive Individual Artist Fellowships are also given the opportunity to exhibit in the Mezzanine Gallery.
To be considered for a Fellowship, artists may submit an Individual Artist Fellowship Application before the annual deadline of August 1.
Visit the Gallery
Hours
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Photo ID required after 4:30 p.m.
Parking
On-street and garage parking available
Admission
Free and open to the public.
About the Gallery
The Mezzanine Gallery presents solo exhibitions of work by Delaware artists in disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, folk, and media arts.
This opportunity is available to Delaware’s emerging and established visual artists who have won Individual Artist Fellowships, or have been chosen by the Division’s annual Gallery Panel.
Opening Reception
Held the first Friday of the month from 5-7 p.m. Dates are subject to change.
February 6-27, 2026
Opening Reception: February 6 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
March 6 – April 3, 2026
Opening Reception: March 6 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
April 10-24, 2026
Opening Reception: April 10 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
May 1-29, 2026
Opening Reception: May 1 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
June 5 – July 3, 2026
Opening Reception: June 5 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
July 10-31, 2026
Opening Reception: July 10 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
*2025 Individual Artist Fellow
Carvel State Office Building
820 North French Street,
4th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801
302.577.8278 |
302.577.6561
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