Mezzanine Gallery

Current Exhibition

UPDATE: Not Just a Pretty Face, an exhibition of pastel portraits by Paul Simon, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from now through April 24, 2020. The exhibition has been extended due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. April artist, Aaron Paskins, will be postponed until October 2020.

After retiring from a career as a biopharmaceuticals discovery researcher, Simon has devoted himself to creating artwork and volunteering. Always drawn to portraiture, Simon was inspired to create portraits of people he met through his volunteer work for JFS (Jewish Family Services) Village and the Refugee Integration Support Effort (RISE).

Simon typically works from smartphone snapshots and enjoys the challenge of creating a photographic likeness that reveals something about the person’s character. He creates the large close-up views of faces by layering soft pastels on dark paper. The faces fill or often extend past the borders of the page. “I depict them frankly, without seeking to embellish or smooth the images, indeed, welcoming the eloquence of their “seasoned” visage,” Simon said.

The Mezzanine Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.

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.