The content of this post was taken from a press release by the Delaware Division of the Arts.
Twenty-five Delaware artists are being recognized by the Delaware Division of the Arts for the high quality of their artwork. Work samples from 132 Delaware choreographers; composers; musicians; writers; and folk, media, and visual artists were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, considering demonstrated creativity and skill in their art form. The 25 selected fellows reside throughout Delaware including Dover, Georgetown, Hockessin, Lewes, Magnolia, Middletown, Newark, Smyrna, Townsend, and Wilmington.Awards were given in three categories: $10,000 for the Masters Award; $6,000 for the Established Professional Award; and $3,000 for the Emerging Professional Award. Fellows are required to offer at least one exhibit or performance during the upcoming year, providing an opportunity for the public to experience their work. Additionally, the work of the Fellows will be featured in a group exhibition, Award Winners XXII, at the Biggs Museum of American Art tentatively set for June 3 through July 23, 2022.
“Individual Artist Fellowship grants recognize Delaware artists for their outstanding work and commitment to artistic excellence,” said Jessica Ball, director of Delaware Division of the Arts. “The financial award allows them to pursue advanced training, purchase equipment and materials, or fulfill other needs to advance their careers. The Division of the Arts understands that artists have been hard hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic and was pleased to be able to allocate some additional funds to recognize more artists this year.”
The Masters Fellowship is open to different artistic disciplines each year. In Fiscal Year 2022, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Literary Arts and Media Arts from artists who had previously received an Established Professional Fellowship. In addition to exemplifying high artistic quality, Masters Fellowship applicants must demonstrate their involvement and commitment to the arts in Delaware and beyond. Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2022 Individual Artist Fellows.
Linda Blaskey has been awarded this year’s Masters Fellowship in Literature: Poetry. Blaskey’s work has been chosen for inclusion in Best New Poets, 2014, and in North Carolina’s Poetry on the Bus project for National Poetry Month. She is poetry/interview editor emerita for Broadkill Review, is coordinator for the Dogfish Head Poetry Prize, and current editor for the new online journal, Quartet. She organized a presentation of Icelandic poetry for the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, and her work was included in Southern Delaware Choral Society’s presentation of Haydn: “Mass in the Time of War.” She sat on the panel, “Collaborative Publishing,” for Western Maryland Indie Lit Festival at Frostburg State University. Blaskey’s work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies, and she is the author of four poetry collections, two of which are collaborations, one forthcoming in 2022. She lives with her husband on a small horse/goat farm in Sussex County, Delaware.
2022 Individual Artist Fellows
Masters Award ($10,000)
- Linda Blaskey, Lincoln - Literature: Poetry
- JoAnn Balingit, Newark - Literature: Creative Nonfiction
- Joseph Barbaccia, Georgetown - Visual Arts: Crafts
- Tim Broscious, Townsend - Music: Contemporary Performance
- Jamie Brunson, Wilmington - Literature: Playwriting
- Caleb Curtiss, Newark - Literature: Poetry
- t. a. hahn, Middletown - Visual Arts: Sculpture
- Jeff Knoettner, Wilmington - Jazz: Performance
- Roger Matsumoto, Newark - Visual Arts: Photography
- Isai Jess Muñoz, Hockessin - Music: Solo Recital
- Mia Muratori, Wilmington - Visual Arts: Painting
- Tad Sare, Wilmington - Media Arts: Video/Film
- Aaron Terry, Wilmington - Visual Arts: Works on Paper
- William Torrey, Middletown - Literature: Fiction
Emerging Professional Award ($3,000)
- Stephanie Boateng, Newark - Visual Arts: Painting
- Christina Durborow, Wilmington - Literature: Creative Nonfiction
- Kiara Florez, Magnolia - Visual Arts: Painting
- Gregory Hammond, Wilmington - Literature: Fiction
- Jim Hawkins, Smyrna - Literature: Playwriting
- Gail Husch, Wilmington - Visual Arts: Crafts
- Alice Morris, Lewes - Literature: Poetry
- Maia Palmer, Wilmington - Visual Arts: Works on Paper
- TANKSLEY, Middletown - Music: Contemporary Performance
- Leanna Thongvong, Dover - Folk Art: Visual Arts
- Katie West, Wilmington - Visual Arts: Photography