36 arts groups, 13 artists get chunk of Rescue Plan cash

The Grand was one of three arts groups to get $45,000 in American Rescue Plan money.

The Delaware Division of the Arts has given 36 arts organizations and 13 artists grants from its $753,000 in American Rescue Plan Art money designed to secure jobs and support artists and nonprofit arts organizations.

The grants ranged from $900 for an individual grant to $45,000 for organization grants.

Three groups got a $45,000 grant each: Delaware Theatre Company, the Grand Opera House and the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation.

Artists’ work is crucial to the creative life of communities and well-being of individuals, and it adds distinct value to the state’s economy, said Jessica Ball, director of the Division of the Arts, in a press release.

“These relief funds are critical to arts organizations and their ongoing service to the community,” she said. “Public funds represent only a small portion of the revenue that arts organizations generate. In addition, individual practicing artists have seen their opportunities postponed or canceled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ARP Organization grants ranges from $5,000 to $45,000 and were only available to groups that had been getting general operating support from the state in the past three years.

The grants could cover expenses to support salaried employees, fees for artists and/or contractual personnel, facility costs such as rent and utilities and marketing expenses incurred between Dec. 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.

Those who received the awards were:

• Art Therapy Express Program Inc. of Hockessin, $15,000
• Art Works for All, Dover, $15,000
• Biggs Museum of American Art, Dover, $10,000
• Brandywine Baroque, Greenville, $20,000
• Center for the Creative Arts, Yorklyn, $25,000
• City Theater Company, Wilmington, $12,500
• Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, $17,500.
• Delaware Children’s Theatre, Wilmington, $20,000
• Delaware Choral Arts Association, Greenville, $10,000
• Delaware Choral Society, Dover, $10,000
• Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education, Wilmington, $20,000
• Delaware Shakespeare Festival Inc., Wilmington, $12,500
• Delaware Symphony Association, Wilmington, $25,000
• Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington, $45,000
• Developing Artist Collaboration, Rehoboth Beach, $30,000
• Dover Art League, Dover, $20,000
• First State Ballet Theatre, Wilmington. $22,500
• Grand Opera House. Wilmington, $45,000
• Inner City Cultural League. Dover, $20,000
• Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, Selbyville. $45,000
• Mispillion Art League, Milford, $14,000
• Music School of Delaware. Wilmington, $22,500
• New Candlelight Productions Inc., Ardentown, $25,000
• New Light Theatre Co., Bear, $5,000
• Newark Arts Alliance, Newark, $14,000
• Newark Symphony Orchestra, Newark, $15,000
• Pieces of a Dream, Wilmington, $12,500
• Rainbow Chorale of Delaware, Wilmington, $7,500
• Rehoboth Summer Children’s Theatre, Rehoboth Beach, $10,000
• Seaford Community Concert Association, Seaford, $10,000
• Southern Delaware Chorale, Rehoboth Beach, $10,000
• The Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, $20,000
• The Henry Francis DuPont Winterthur Museum Inc., Winterthur, $22,500
• Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance Inc., Wilmington, $17,500
• Wilmington Children’s Chorus Inc., Wilmington, $18,000
• Wilmington Drama LeagueWilmington, $15,000

TheARP Individual Artist Grants provided up to $15,000 to support eligible Delaware artists in the production and presentation of community-focused artistic projects across disciplines through June 30, 2022.

Examples of eligible projects included providing presentations such as art exhibitions, performances, readings or concerts, workshops and the creation of artwork with tangible outcomes, such as a specific community impact or raising awareness of the arts.

The individual awards went to:

• Poet JoAnn Balingit, Newark, $5,000 to run “Naming the nameless: A writing retreat for marginalized voices – a 4-day writing retreat in Lewes for beginning and experienced writers.
• Timothy Broscious, Townsend, $3,500 to compose a new work for the Quey Percussion Duo
• Lori Crawford, Dover, $8,000, to fund Digital Harmonies-Live, a collaboration between one visual artist and a Delaware-based music group that will give multiple performances at senior/addicted living facilities
• Ashley Davis, Wilmington, $9,000 to develop a new, evening-long choreographic work that focuses on the experience of Black women in America
• Kyma Fulgence, Wilmington, $1,900 to create Black Women and Men Meditate and Self Care – an opportunity for people of color to participate in an event centered around their mental and emotional wellness featuring music and poetry
• JuneRose Futcher, Lewes, $900 to exhibit photographs that will raise awareness in the greater community of Delaware/Delmarva about preservation and the plight of extreme destruction and development at the expense of heritage and sense of connection and belonging
• Violinist Xiang Gao, Newark, $15,000 to compose new vocal and instrumental music for “Shanghai Sonatas,” a Delaware-born and community-focused new musical
• Elizabeth Kelly, Claymont, $9,000 to create U-Choose: 3 Choose-Your-Own-Ending Operas that will lead to a total of six performances
• Linda Majewski, Newark, $2,300 to present “Into a Paper Garden,” an art exhibition at the Newark Arts Alliance, in conjunction with five classes on how to create flowers from paper
• Michelle Peebles, Wilmington, $5,000 to hold How to Create a Narrative from Beginning to End, a workshop that culminates with a performance of a one-act play
• Jane Quartarone, Wilmington, $2,400 to hold Veterans Art Project: ReBoot – a series of eight classes for veterans where they will participate in art projects and can express themselves via a visual medium
• Richard Rothrock, Wilmington, $7,500, to create Cape Spirit, a piece of public art for Lewes
• Justin Tanksley, Middletown, $5,000 to create a one-day music event in Middletown featuring performances by local musicians

Betsy Price