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Delaware Arts Alliance head chosen to direct state arts division

Betsy PriceCulture, Headlines

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Jessica Ball, the executive director of the Delaware Arts Alliance will become the new director of the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Secretary of State Jeff Bullock announced Friday that she will take the office Nov. 29, 2021.

a woman smiling for the camera

Jessica Ball

The Division of the Arts is actively involved in many aspects of arts, from small groups such as community bands up to large institutions such as the Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Symphony Orchestra and more.

“Jessica’s breadth of experience uniquely positions her to lead the Division to the next level,” Bullock said in a press release.

“The arts and culture sector stands ready to help Delaware recover from the social and economic trauma of the pandemic, and I’m excited to be a part of the rebuilding and reopening of our cultural scene,” she said. “My vision for the arts post-pandemic is one that is centered on increased access, diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Having served as executive director of the Delaware Arts Alliance since 2018, Ball developed sector wide strategies to advance arts and culture.

She serves as the Delaware State Captain for Americans for the Arts’ State Arts Action Network and volunteers on the Delaware Fund for Women’s Young Founders Committee and the Delaware MillSummit Planning Committee.

 Ball holds dual master’s degrees in Historic Preservation and Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from Florida International University.

She will replace Paul Weagraff, who is retiring.

The Delaware Arts Alliance has hired an executive search firm to help find a new executive director, said Arreon A. Harley-Emerson, DAA board president. He also is director of music and operations at The Choir School of Delaware

The agency will name an interim executive director to oversee operations while the search is under way.

He said in a press release that the alliance, which has an annual budget of $150,000, is indebted to Ball for her effective leadership in the four years she ran the organization.
“Her vision and focus on making the arts an inclusive force and dynamic economic driver for the State of Delaware make her the ideal person to lead DDOA,” he said.
Harley-Emerson cited Ball’s key role in securing federal CARES Act funds for arts and cultural organizations in Delaware as one of her major achievements as DAA’s executive director.
Other accomplishments during Ball’s tenure include working with legislative leaders to launch the General Assembly’s Arts and Culture Caucus; launching an annual week-long celebration of the arts in Delaware; working with educators to document the benefits of arts to learning; and forging new relationships with state officials and non-governmental organizations that support the arts.

 

 

 

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