Mezzanine Gallery

Important Update

The Mezzanine Gallery is closed during the months of January and February for building renovations and will reopen in March 2019. We will provide periodic updates throughout the construction, so please check back here for more information.

Past Exhibition

“Ship of Theseus” by Lauren E. Peters

Ship of Theseus, an exhibition of self-portraits by painter Lauren E. Peters, will be on view in the Mezzanine Gallery from December 7-28, 2018. Peters received a 2018 Artist Fellowship in Visual Arts: Painting. The artist will host a free opening reception on Friday, December 7 from 5-8 p.m.

Greek and Roman references and the understanding of self/identity have been recurring themes in Peters’ work. Her choice of the exhibition title, Ship of Theseus, is a reference to thought experiment that raises the question of whether a ship—standing for an object in general—that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. In her artwork, Peters explores the fluid and multifaceted nature of identity through a series of self-portraits in which she wears a variety of clothing and props. Peters’ colorful personas fill the foreground and they frequently gaze directly at the viewer.

While the costumes may be thought of as disguises, they are created to bring the different realities beneath our “normal” appearance to light. Peters explains, “If I put on a costume for a self-portrait, is that more or less Me? There are such a variety of changes that humans undergo over the course of a lifetime or even days; and these paintings, under the wigs and bright colors, struggle to find the truth at the core.”

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.
Learn more about Peters with our YouTube Meet the Artist video series. Image: Interlace, 2018, poplar and mahogany, variable dimensions

Meet the Artist

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. Artists who have received an Individual Artist Fellowship in the visual arts are also given the opportunity to exhibit in the gallery.

Image Credits:

Olga Nielsen, Sophomore, 2016, Bronze, 22″ x 12″ x 10″
Robert Bruce Weston, Fabric #1 (Fibrous), 2017, Wood Veneer, 22″h x 30″w x 1 ¼” d
Jim Rehak, Sea Level, 2016, Oil, 16″ x 20″

Join our Gallery list

Construction Updates

January – March 2019
Work to begin on Mezzanine

March – April 2019
Main entrance on N. French and 9th Sts will be closed. All pedestrian traffic will be redirected to the Plaza entrance. Visitors must use elevator to get to Mezzanine level.

April – June 2019
Entrance on Plaza will be closed. All pedestrian traffic will be redirected to the main entrance on N. French and 9th Sts.

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.