The Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) 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.
The Delaware Division of the Arts 2026 Individual Artist Fellows are listed below...
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, email or call Roxanne Stanulis, Program Officer, Artist Programs and Services, Roxanne.Stanulis@delaware.gov or 302.577.8283.
