A Number of New Artist Opportunities Opening at The Delaware Contemporary

The content of this post comes from a release from The Delaware Contemporary...

The Delaware Contemporary today announced a number of exhibit and engagement opportunities for local and regional artists.  The Contemporary is dedicated to supporting the careers of emerging and established artists through exhibition opportunities and professional development. Active onsite artist studios, complemented with a vibrant and rotating exhibition program, push artists to reexamine and expand the boundaries of their practice. The organization invites and encourages artists of all stages to apply! 

Click the links below for application forms and further info...

The Gallery Shop

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, January 29, 2021
• SHOP SEASON: March 1 - August 27, 2021
• APPLICATION FEE: $10.00

Starting March 1, The Gallery Shop will display a new collection of featured artists with a curated selection of art and craft alongside new exhibitions in our gallery space. Seeking a fresh selection of products as we continue to promote contemporary craft and to support local and regional artists. Submit your work to be considered for this eclectic assortment of contemporary art, crafts, and handmade products. ALL forms of art are encouraged. If your work is sellable for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or birthdays, the Spring/Summer season is for you!

Submission Requirements:

• Submit the following information as a single document (.DOC, .PDF) to lhoward@decontemporary.org with the email subject line "Gallery Shop Submission":
• Short Bio: Brief summary of your artist resume
• Product description and pricing
• 5-10 images to showcase variety of artwork attached to submission email Optional: Artist digital links (Instagram, Etsy, artist website, Facebook, etc.)
• Pay submission fee and include the order receipt number in the body of the submission email.

Call for Exhibit Entries - Natural Movement: Unapologetic Conversations of Hair & Nonconformity

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15, 2021
• APPLICATION FEE: $25

The Contemporary is accepting submissions for a group exhibition based around the central ideas of hair and the CROWN Act, a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination; namely the denial of employment, recreational, and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles. How has rhetoric and politics alienated people of color? How does public discourse about hair and micro-aggressions play out in opportunities of advancement? How can contemporary artists and museums move this dialogue forward? 

Summer 2021 Exhibition Opportunity

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15, 2021

What does it mean to assimilate within accepted cultural norms? How is conformity questioned in contemporary society and what does it mean to “fit in”? The Delaware Contemporary seeks applicants to showcase works that engage in conversations about identity, acceptance, and conformity or non-conformity. Submissions may consider concepts such as religion, ethnicity, culture, gender, and race. Artists are encouraged to discuss any range of these topics as appropriate to them and their work. Artworks submitted may be any media, but must be prepared for museum exhibition.

2021 Artist-in-Residence

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15, 2021

The Contemporary's redesigned Residency Program extends to all types and forms of creative producers for a 12-month residency. Residents will have the opportunity to fully engage with the community and produce a comprehensive body of work for exhibition and documentation. In support of the museum’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community as well as the organization, The Contemporary has placed emphasis on providing the Residency Program to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and is driven to provide equitable access to career development and capacity-building opportunities for underserved populations and strives to contribute to diversifying the nonprofit and museum industries.

THE STUDIOS @

• Applications are now open

Join the community of creative individuals at The Studios @ The Delaware Contemporary! Currently, The Contemporary has two vacant studios available. The 26 artist studio spaces are a place where proactivity, public engagement, diversity of ideas, perspectives, and artistic practice are honored, respected, and achieved.

2021 Individual Artist Fellowships Awardees Announced by the Delaware Division of the Arts

This post content comes from a press release from the Delaware Division of the Arts...

The prestigious Individual Artist Fellowships from the Delaware Division of the Arts recognize artists in a variety of disciplines for their outstanding quality of work and provide monetary awards.

This year 121 artists applied and 25 were awarded fellowships in the following categories: one Masters; 14 Established; and 10 Emerging. Because of limited programing due to COVID in some of the Division’s regular grant categories, the Division was able to allocate additional funds to the Fellowship categories, thereby enabling the Division to recognize more artists this year. 

Awards are 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 XXI at the Biggs Museum tentatively set for June 4-July 25, 2021.

“Individual Artist Fellowship grants provide the recognition and exposure that artists need to successfully promote their work,” said Paul Weagraff, 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 was pleased to be able to allocate some additional funds to the Fellowship categories this year, thereby enabling the Division to recognize more artists this year.”

Masters Award ($10,000)

• Jennifer Margaret Barker, Newark, Music: Composition

Established Award ($6,000)

• Fostina Dixon (Bear), Jazz: Performance
• Howard Eberle (Lewes), Visual Arts: Painting
• Knicoma Frederick (Wilmington), Folk Art: Visual Arts
• Mara Gorman (Newark), Literature: Fiction
• Eliezer Gutman (Wilmington), Music: Solo Recital
• Harold Kalmus (Arden), Visual Arts: Crafts
• Kim Klabe (Rehoboth Beach), Visual Arts: Works on Paper
• Jack Knight (Long Neck), Visual Arts: Sculpture
• Cassandra Lewis (Wilmington), Literature: Playwriting
• Jame McCray (Smyrna), Dance: Choreography
• Terry Miller (Milton), Literature: Creative Nonfiction
• Jane C. Miller (Wilmington), Literature: Poetry
• Richard Raw (Wilmington), Folk Art: Music
• Eric Zippe (Wilmington), Visual Arts: Photography

Emerging Professional Award ($3,000)

• Ann Marie Brzozowski (Wilmington), Literature: Fiction
• Shari Dierkes (Clayton), Visual Arts: Crafts
• Siobhan Duggan (Lewes), Visual Arts: Works on Paper
• Denise Eno Ernest (Newark), Visual Arts: Painting
• Jason Jellick (Wilmington), Visual Arts: Photography
• Carrie Sz. Keane (Milton), Literature: Creative Nonfiction
• Todd Kilgoe (Bear), Jazz: Composition
• Jack Mackey (Rehoboth Beach), Literature: Poetry
• Theresa Taylor (Dover), Folk Art: Visual Arts
• Njideka Wiggins (Wilmington), Literature: Playwriting

Not Your Grandmother’s Nutcracker: Wilmington Ballet Announces Virtual Nutcracker Experience

Information in this post comes from a press release from The Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance.

While COVID-19 and socially distant restrictions have shut down the majority of arts organizations around the world, the Wilmington Ballet have been pirouetting full force into the new – a new philosophy, new staff, and a new way to bring the holiday tradition of The Nutcracker to families across Delaware for the 53th year. 

From December 7-12, sugarplums will dazzle, mice and soldiers will battle, and snowflakes will swirl as the Wilmington Ballet presents their completely virtual Nutcracker Experience. This five-night, online event will feature a mix of pre-recorded and live videos. The ballet will be performed in venues across the Greater Wilmington area, including The Delaware Art Museum and The Playhouse on Rodney Square.

Viewers can expect to be blown away by this year’s guest stars:
• Akua Parker - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Academy of the Dance alumna
• Georgina Pazcoguin - New York City Ballet Soloist
• Lateef Williams – Royal Ballet of Flanders, Wilm Ballet Alumni
• Amanda Smith - Dance Theater of Harlem
• Anthony Santos – Dance Theater of Harlem
• The Voloshky Ukranian Dance Ensemble

“We really had to test our creativity this year and expand the performance to fit the current times we find ourselves in,” said Benjamin Cannon, Wilmington Ballet’s new Executive and Artistic Director. “It was important to us to keep this tradition alive for our community. Now more than ever, a sense of ‘normal’ and familiarity is so needed, and our hope is that by presenting The Nutcracker in a new and innovative way, we can help families hang on to a holiday tradition they may have otherwise had to forego.” 

This year’s ballet will be presented virtually on new virtual events platform Markee – created locally in Downtown Wilmington. Since quietly launching in June 2020, Markee has hosted more than 100 events, including the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, EasterSeals Delaware and Maryland’s Easter Shore Annual Caregiver Conference, and an event for The Future Party.

Other local organizations involved in this year’s production include:
• DelawareArt Museum
• Pieces of a Dream Academy of Dance
• McAlleer-Paulson School of Irish Dance
• Stage Lights Dance Academy
• The Playhouse on Rodney Square

“Including and becoming more a part of our local community was imperative to us,” said Christopher Davis, the ballet’s Associate Artistic Director. “We were floored when we were introduced to Markee and could not sign up fast enough when we learned it was built just a mile from our studio! The Delaware Art Museum has been an incredible partner, and we fully intend to include as many community organizations as possible in our programming going forward.”

Cannon and Davis, both with impressive backgrounds featuring Broadway and professional dance companies, are hoping to use this year’s performance as an introduction to the new Wilmington Ballet and Academy of the Dance. The long-term plans for the dance company include adding more diverse class options, community programming, extensive building updates, and an exciting rebranding project with local branding agency BrandSwan.

The Tuttleman Foundation Presents: The Nutcracker Experience
• Monday, Dec. 7 – Wednesday, Dec 9: 7pm
• Thursday, Dec. 10: 8:30pm (Special presentation in conjunction with Delaware Art Museum)
• Friday, Dec. 11: 7pm
• Saturday, Dec. 12: 2pm (Special matinee with guest stars from the historic Playhouse on Rodney Square)

Tickets ($75 per single household) are on sale now at https://events.wilmingtonballet.org/the-nutcracker-experience.

(The Wilmington Ballet asks that viewers continue to follow the Delaware State of Emergency guidelines that have been put in place. They have priced tickets per household to encourage social distancing. Once purchased, ticket links are unique and cannot be shared.)

About The Wilmington Ballet at the Academy of the Dance
Founded in 1956, as the Academy of the Dance, Wilmington Ballet has the longest-standing tradition of excellence in dance training in the region. Wilmington Ballet’s professional faculty is dedicated to providing exceptional ballet training to students of all ages. Wilmington Ballet students have advanced to the world’s top companies, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Martha Graham Company, Royal Ballet Flanders, Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, as well as Broadway and more. Since 1967, the annual performance of The Nutcracker at the Playhouse on Rodney Square has provided our students the opportunity to perform with world-class professional artists and live orchestra. Wilmington Ballet is conveniently located in the Trolley Square neighborhood at 1709 Gilpin Avenue. The Wilmington Ballet is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.  More Information: www.wilmingtonballet.org.