Renita Coursey at the Mezzanine Gallery

The Garden

On view December 5-26, 2025

The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present The Garden, a solo exhibition of new work by 2025 Individual Artist Fellow in Folk Arts, Renita Coursey. The exhibition will be on view from December 5–26, 2025, with an opening reception on Friday, December 5, 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.

The Garden offers an intimate view into Coursey’s evolving artistic practice, weaving together Nanticoke tradition, contemporary design, and a deep sense of cultural stewardship. Through beadwork, ribbon skirts, and mixed-media work, Coursey cultivates a creative space grounded in identity, ancestry, and intergenerational connection. The exhibition reflects her journey to reconnect with her roots and to honor the teachings, practices, and people who guide her work.

A native Delawarean, Coursey grew up on Nanticoke land in Millsboro, surrounded by the cultural life of her tribal community. Although she felt shy as a child during the dances held across from her home near the Nanticoke Indian Tribal Center, those early experiences shaped her understanding of tradition, belonging, and creative lineage. After moving to Virginia at age eleven and later serving four years in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, Coursey remained in Hawaii to complete her Bachelor of Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa before ultimately returning home to Delaware.

Upon returning, she felt a renewed pull toward ancestral connection and began teaching herself beadwork—often late at night or before dawn while caring for her infant son. That practice grew into a disciplined, intentional art form. She later learned ribbon skirt making from tribal elders in her hometown, deepening her connection to her grandmother, a seamstress she never met but feels close to through her work today. Coursey now blends Native traditional styles with modern streetwear, creating beadwork and garments that honor heritage while pushing creative boundaries.

Her commitment to culture and craft is balanced with her work in emergency veterinary medicine, where she has spent eight years caring for critically ill patients. She is also a mother of two, a throughline she credits as one of her strongest artistic inspirations. Coursey grounds her creative practice in patience, prayer, and purpose, often praying for the wellbeing of the future wearer of each beadwork piece. She cites inspiration from Native artists such as Samantha Whitefeather, Gina Tiger, Skye Paul, and designers behind contemporary Native-owned brands like B Yellowtail and Urban Native Era.

As she continues to grow her artistic voice, Coursey is exploring powwow dancing, regalia making, moccasin construction, and mixed media. Her Fellowship supports this expansion, allowing her to create new regalia, acquire supplies, and continue refining her work for powwows and beyond.

The Garden invites visitors into the emotional, cultural, and spiritual terrain of Coursey’s world – a space where tradition and innovation flourish side by side, rooted in gratitude for the generations before her and hope for those yet to come.

Coursey shares about the exhibit:

A collection of my own beadwork, some traditional regalia & some modern pieces, made using a two needle flat stitch technique. Much like gardening, beadwork asks me for patience. It has shown me the value that small efforts have over time.

The progress is quiet.

A true labor of love.

The Garden…

It’s a place where good stuff grows. Where I’ve learned that mistakes are a doorway. A place that hold emptiness, unwavering, knowing that it will be made full of life again and again. It is where I’ve cried for,

Laughed with,

Craved,

& thanked those who have had an undeniable influence on my life. Both here & passed on.

Each piece is in some way inspired by or dedicated to a soul I dearly love.

The Mezzanine Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

About the Artist

Renita Coursey, born in Millsboro, Delaware, is a Nanticoke artist, mother, military veteran, and emergency veterinary medicine professional. A 2025 Individual Artist Fellow in Folk Arts, she blends Native American traditional beadwork with modern streetwear, creating ribbon skirts, regalia, and intricately beaded pieces that reflect both her cultural heritage and contemporary influences. After earning her Bachelor of Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Coursey spent eight years working in emergency veterinary medicine while raising her two children. She later returned to Delaware to reconnect with her native roots and deepen her artistic practice, learning beadwork and ribbon skirt making from tribal elders and cultivating a personal style grounded in intention, cultural continuity, and gratitude. Her work has been recognized by institutions including the Winterthur Estate and the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Images in the banner: “Love ya, see ya, bye.” (2025), Charlotte true, Miyuki beads wrapped around paracord, matte cabochon, 100% wool felt, red split hide, 2.75”x4”. “Sunnie Nokomis Harmon” (2025), 100% wool felt, Charlotte true, Miyuki beads, red split hide, red deer hide, 2.5”x2.5”. “Sunnie Side Up” (2025), Japanese Miyuki beads backed with brain tanned buck hide and gold deer hide flat cord, 2.5”x2.25”.

Mezzanine Gallery Application

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.

Individual Artist Fellowship Application

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.

Join our Gallery list

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.

Christopher Starr

February 6-27, 2026
Opening Reception: February 6 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

Tanya Bracey

March 6 – April 3, 2026
Opening Reception: March 6 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

Michael McSorley

April 10-24, 2026
Opening Reception: April 10 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

Kira Krell

May 1-29, 2026
Opening Reception: May 1 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

Milton Downing

June 5 – July 3, 2026
Opening Reception: June 5 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

Juan Santos

July 10-31, 2026
Opening Reception: July 10 from 5:00pm-7:00pm