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 grants. Individual Artist Fellows are publicly acknowledged and benefit from the additional exposure to their work.

2011 Delaware Individual Artist Fellows

Masters
	Richard Rothrock Visual Arts: Sculpture “My sculpture…affirms my deep respect and appreciation for art and the natural universe that surrounds us.”
Established Professional
	Russell Endo Literature: Poetry “There’s some inner truth to what is there that I’m trying to express.”		Colette C. Gaiter Visual Arts: Work on Paper “I want people who view the images, to think beyond the exoticism of fading grandeur or lush tropical rural landscapes…”
	Judith E. Goldsmith Visual Arts: Painting “The overall direction is headed toward simpler compositions, strong areas of more intense color, and organization that is graphically powerful.”		Raye Jones Avery Jazz: Performance [describing her musical influences] “I want to encourage people to explore the various dimensions of their own artistic selves.”
	Heidi J. Lowe Visual Arts: Crafts “Jewelry is not fully alive until it is worn.”		Rachel Simon Literature: Fiction “I already knew the tools for creating narrative arcs, and found I enjoyed applying those tools to the challenges presented by nonfiction.”
	John D. Smith Music: Solo Recital “The electric sense of anticipation and high hopes for a great performance by audience members is contagious…”		Chad States Visual Arts: Photography “I am interested in creating a sense of fantasy in which the viewer can be seduced by the romanticism of the landscape yet feel a tension from the possibility of this unknown…”
Emerging Professional
	Delainey Barclay Visual Arts: Painting “I don’t want my work just to be conceptual and pretentious and artsy. I want it to be something that everyone can relate to.”		Elisabeth Bard Visual Arts: Photography “I found out that there’s almost like two worlds with photography.”
	Gail Comorat Literature: Poetry  “I try to write something daily, even if it’s only a few lines.”		Kevin J. Cope Music: Composition “…my work will always attempt to speak to its audience as an equal and not as a lesser.”
	Ellen L. Durkan Visual Arts: Sculpture “You can take an old craft and bring new life to it.”		A.D. Loveday Visual Arts: Works on Paper “I never felt like it was a decision I made but something I had to structure my life around.”
	Michael Miller Folk Art: Music “My style differs significantly from musicians performing popular music, as my purpose is to create meaningful connections with the audience…”		Mary-Margaret Pauer Literature: Fiction “The reader of a short story knows that a short story on some level is surreal, and they will let you go to the dark places, and they will let you go to the edge.”
	Joy S. Robinson Folk Art: Craft “As artisans, as generations go on, we take from the past and we make it our own, it’s just a natural current.”		James A. Smith Literature: Creative Nonfiction [describing his characters] “These are human beings with dreams and fears, and they wake up and have coffee in the morning and they look at the moon in the evening…”

Each year approximately 10 to15 artists are awarded Individual Artist Fellowships from a pool of nearly 100 applications. The work of applicants is judged by nationally recognized arts professionals from outside Delaware.

The highest honor—the Masters Fellow—is reserved for those who meet the rigorous criteria. Only one Masters Fellow can be awarded each year, and the discipline category alternates among Literature, Visual Arts, and Music. Masters Fellowship applicants must have been previous recipients of a fellowship at the Established level and, in addition to exhibiting the highest standards in their work, must also demonstrate involvement and commitment to the arts in Delaware.

The awards—$3,000 for Emerging Artists, $6,000 for Established Professionals, and $10,000 for Masters—allow artists to pursue advanced training, purchase equipment and materials, or fulfill other needs that will help advance their careers. During the course of the fellowship year, recipients showcase their work in an exhibit or performance, giving the public an opportunity to appreciate the talents of these exceptional artists.

For more details about the Individual Artist Fellowship program, visit the Grants for Individual Artists page.

To view previous Artist Fellows, visit: 2010 Fellowship Recipients | 2009 Fellowship Recipients