Five Delaware Arts Organizations Receive Special Presenter Initiatives Grants from MidAtlantic Arts

The contents of this post originate from a press release from the Delaware Division of the Arts...

Mid Atlantic Arts, in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, has announced over $102,000 in grants, across five states, through the 2023-2024 Special Presenter Initiatives program.

The Special Presenter Initiatives program provides funding to small and mid-size presenting organizations in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography. The program supports presenting projects with professional touring artists and ensembles from anywhere worldwide. The supported projects include public performances as well as community engagement activities that enhance the performance experience and offer meaningful exchanges between touring artists and a presenter’s community.

The artistic engagements proposed by applicant presenters are diverse in performance genre and artist identity. Examples of Special Presenter Initiatives engagement and community exchange include Delaware-based, groundbreaking female Kora player Sona Jobarteh will be presented in her home state by Arden Club, along with her band, to share her evolution of the African musical tradition through performances and an open Q/A and sound-check.

African Kora virtuoso Sona Jobarteh will appear at Arden Concert Gild this season, as part of Arden's 
Mid Atlantic Arts grant. 

“We congratulate the grantees of the 2023-2024 Special Presenter Initiatives program,” said Jessica Ball, the Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “These grants will play a pivotal role in bringing exceptional artists and diverse performances to the First State. Our mission at the Delaware Division of the Arts is to foster artistic excellence and enrich the cultural landscape of Delaware, and these grants align perfectly with that goal. We are excited to witness the meaningful exchanges between touring artists and our communities, and we look forward to the transformative impact these performances will have on our state.”

The 2023-2024 grantees from Delaware include:

• Arden Club, Inc., Wilmington presenting Lankum, Ireland
• Arden Club, Inc., Wilmington presenting Sona Jobarteh, DE
• Christina Cultural Arts Center, Inc., Wilmington presenting Stacey Harcum, DE
• Cityfest, Inc., Wilmington presenting Gerald Veasly Electric Mingus Project, PA
• Coastal Concerts, Inc., Lewes presenting JiJi, Guitar and Danbi Um, Violin, NY
• Coastal Concerts, Inc., Lewes presenting Michelle Cann, PA
• Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Wilmington presenting André Raphel, PA

“Mid Atlantic Arts plays a vital role in bringing exceptionally talented artists to our community through their generous support,” said Delaware Symphony Orchestra CEO J.C. Barker. “Not only does their assistance enable the DSO to showcase these important artists, but it also provided the necessary resources to foster a collaboration with young talents at the Music School of Delaware. This partnership created invaluable opportunities for aspiring young musicians to learn from a musical virtuoso.”

“CCAC is humbled and honored to be the recipient of a Special Presenter Initiative Grant from Mid Atlantic Arts,” said Christina Cultural Arts Center Executive Director James Rhodes. “As we continue to move beyond shuttered venues and welcome visitors back to CCAC, this funding allows us to engage dynamic artists from around our region and across the country to reconnect with our thousands of supporters.”

Ron Ozer from the Arden Concert Gild stated, “the Special Presenters grant allows Arden Concert Gild to take bigger risks booking unusual eclectic but top tier artists from around the world, such as Lankum, in one of only 5 appearances across the US in one week in 2023.”

Carol Dennis, Executive Director of Coastal Concerts stated, “I’m a strong believer that music has a special way of inspiring and transforming our lives in a multitude of ways. The Mid Atlantic Arts Special Presenter Initiative Program is a remarkable program that allows us to enrich the lives of the youth and adults in southern Delaware by supporting the presentation of our educational outreach programs and concerts by renowned musicians.”

About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

About Mid Atlantic Arts
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. We combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.

Fringe Wilmington Prepares for Its First Film Festival!

This post comes courtesy of a CityFest press release.

The City of Wilmington and Cityfest, Inc., the City’s nonprofit cultural programming organization, are excited to announce the FilmFringe Wilmington Festival that will take place from Tuesday, February 17 to Sunday, February 22, 2015 at Theatre N at Nemours, 1007 North Orange Street, in downtown Wilmington.

The 2015 Film Fringe Wilmington Festival will include the popular annual Extreme Filmmaking competition and screenings of independent films by local, regional, and national filmmakers.  Fringe Wilmington is Delaware’s only multi-day celebration of unconventional art.  In previous years, Fringe has been a single festival in the fall, which included live performances, film and visual offerings.  This year, the Fringe Committee has separated each of the disciplines into their own five day festival, starting with performing arts last November in Live Fringe, followed by Film Fringe in February 2015, and Visual Fringe in May 2015.

Film Fringe kicks off with a free Preview Party, where trailers will be featured for each film of the festival.  The Preview Party will also include a screening of the Extreme 5-minute Filmmaking entries, including an awards ceremony to announce cash prize winners of the contest, as well as Fringe-inspired cocktails by The Painted Stave Distillery of Smyrna, Delaware.

In Film Fringe Wilmington’s inaugural year the committee was excited to receive more quality entries than could be screened in the initial four days of programming allotted.  As a result, the Preview Party has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 17 to allow for a full five days of films. In the day’s following the Preview Party, film novices and enthusiasts may sample a wide variety of film genres, ranging from dramas to documentaries, comedies to action.  A few highlights include an entire evening dedicated to music documentaries on Friday, February 20 and ‘An Afternoon With John Evans’, the world-renowned filmmaker on Sunday February 22. 

Tickets are available on the Fringe Wilmington website at www.fringede.org and will be available at the Preview Party, as well as at the Theatre N box office immediately prior to each showing.  Individual ticket prices are $5.  Audience members can also purchase a 5-film pass for $15 or a 10-film pass for $25.  Fringe Wilmington continues its model of providing 100% of ticket sales to participating filmmakers.

To learn more about Film Fringe Wilmington Festival and see the 2015 Film Fringe Wilmington selections, visit www.fringede.org or call Jeni Barton at 302.576.2135.