Delaware Division of the Arts Announces 2026 Individual Artist Fellowship Awardees

27 Delaware artists selected for $184,000 in fellowships following record 246 applications statewide

Statewide, Del. (January 21, 2026) – The Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) today announced the 2026 recipients of its Individual Artist Fellowships, recognizing 27 Delaware artists for exceptional artistic quality and awarding $184,000 in individual artist grants. The Division received 246 applications from Delaware musicians, writers, and folk, media, and visual artists—an unprecedented level of interest in the program. Since 2020, the Division of the Arts has granted more than $950,000 to Delaware artists through the Individual Artist Fellowship program.

Work samples were reviewed by out-of-state arts professionals, who evaluated demonstrated creativity and skill within each artist’s discipline. Twenty-seven artists were selected for fellowships across three categories—1 Master Fellow, 14 Established Fellows, and 12 Emerging Fellows—and the Division also named 5 runners-up, each of whom will receive an honorarium. This year, DDOA increased the fellowship funding pool by 20% in response to the strong demand.

Awards are provided in three categories: $12,000 for the Master Award, $8,000 for the Established Professional Award, and $5,000 for the Emerging Professional Award. Fellowship support is intentionally flexible, enabling artists to advance their work in ways that best fit their practice. Fellows are also required to offer at least one public exhibit or performance during the upcoming year, ensuring Delawareans have opportunities to experience the work their state is investing in.

The 2026 fellows reside throughout Delaware, including Georgetown, Middletown, Bear, Townsend, Newark, Magnolia, Bethany Beach, New Castle, Rehoboth Beach, Farmington, Lewes, Milford, Smyrna, and Wilmington.

“Delaware’s individual artists are the foundation of our cultural life, and these fellowships invest directly in their ability to make new work,” said Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “With 246 applications this year, we expanded the funding pool by 20% and are recognizing additional finalists with honoraria – so more exceptional Delaware artists can create, take risks, and share work with the public.”

“Artist fellowship funding helps artists cover the real costs of creating – materials, equipment, studio time, rehearsal space, and the dedicated time it takes to develop strong work,” said Roxanne Stanulis, Program Officer, Artist Programs and Services. “That flexibility supports individual artists while also bringing measurable value back to communities through exhibitions, performances, and the vitality that artists generate across Delaware.”

Master Fellowship

The Master Fellowship is offered in rotating artistic disciplines each year. For 2026, Master Fellowship applications were accepted in Visual Arts and Folk Arts from artists who had previously received an Established Professional Fellowship. In addition to exemplifying high artistic quality, Master Fellowship applicants must demonstrate sustained involvement and commitment to the arts in Delaware and beyond.

Dennis Beach is the DDOA 2026 Master Fellow in Visual Arts: Sculpture. Beach is a Delaware-based sculptor and painter who has sustained full-time studio practice for more than two decades, creating work that explores the visual and spatial possibilities of color, geometric form, and movement. He earned an M.F.A. from the University of Delaware and a B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art and has exhibited widely across the East Coast through more than 40 group exhibitions and 19 solo presentations, including recent solo exhibitions at the Delaware Art Museum and Schmidt/Dean Gallery. His work is held in public, corporate, and museum collections, and he is represented by Schmidt/Dean Gallery. Based in a Newport, Delaware studio, Beach regularly supports community engagement through studio visits, educational groups, and public programs.

Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2026 Individual Artist Fellows.

Masters Fellow

Dennis Beach, Visual Arts: Sculpture, Wilmington

Established Fellows

Catharine Fichtner, Visual Arts: Painting, Wilmington

Michael Fleishman, Visual Arts: Works on Paper, Milford

Yalonda JD Green, Literature: Poetry, Wilmington

Jim Hawkins, Literature: Playwriting, Smyrna

Jawanza Kobie, Jazz: Composition, Wilmington

Erin Magnin, Music: Contemporary Performance, Newark

Jonathan Chaiim McConnell, Literature: Fiction, New Castle

Teddy Osei, Visual Arts: Crafts, New Castle

Martha B. Pitts, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Middletown

Alan B. Tuttle, Visual Arts: Painting, Lewes

Jonathan Whitney, Music: Composition, Wilmington

Brian Wild, Media Arts: Video/Film, Wilmington

Rebecca Wilt, Music: Solo Recital, Newark

Andre’ Wright Jr, Visual Arts: Photography, Wilmington

Emerging Fellows

Itzel Aguilar, Folk Art: Visual Arts, Georgetown

J.F. Arsenault, Visual Arts: Painting, Rehoboth Beach

Deborah E. Baker, Literature: Fiction, Bethany Beach

Hadrian Cerulean, Literature: Poetry, Wilmington

Logan Farro, Visual Arts: Painting, Farmington

Vik Hart, Visual Arts: Works on Paper, Wilmington

Susan Isaacs, Visual Arts: Sculpture, Wilmington

Valerie Lane, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Bear

Orlando Lewis (aka Raylo), Music: Composition, Townsend

Adaysela Reyes (aka Dayesla Ixtli), Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary, Newark

Jonathan Rivera (aka J Pvpi), Music: Contemporary Performance, Magnolia

David Warren Norbut, Visual Arts: Photography, Wilmington

Runners Up

Cassandra Lewis Slattery, Established, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Wilmington

Carly Maiorano, Emerging, Visual Arts: Painting, Wilmington

Jennifer Polillo, Established, Visual Arts: Painting, Wilmington

Jennifer Small, Established, Visual Arts: Painting, Wilmington

Justin Tanksley, Established, Music: Contemporary Performance, Middletown

To contact an individual artist, please email or call: Roxanne Stanulis, Program Officer, Artist Programs and Services, Roxanne.Stanulis@delaware.gov or 302-577-8283.

The next deadline for 2027 Individual Artist Fellowship applications will be Monday, August 3, 2026 by 11:59 p.m.

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

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 the 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 https://www.midatlanticarts.org/.