Twenty-one Delaware Artists Receive Funding In Recognition of Artist Excellence

Statewide, DE - The Delaware Division of the Arts is proud to recognize 21 exceptional Delaware artists as the 2025 Individual Artist Fellows, awarding a total of $158,000 to support their creative pursuits. This year’s application cycle saw an unprecedented 191 applications from musicians, writers, and folk, media, and visual artists across the state. A panel of out-of-state arts professionals rigorously reviewed work samples, evaluating creativity and artistic excellence. The 2025 Fellows represent a diverse range of artistic disciplines and communities, hailing from Bear, Clayton, Dagsboro, Lewes, Milton, Newark, New Castle, Rehoboth Beach, Smyrna, and Wilmington. Fellowships were awarded in three categories: Master (1), Established (11), and Emerging (9), with an additional 13 runners-up recognized for their talent.

Awards are given in three categories: $12,000 for the Masters Award, $8,000 for the Established Professional Award, and $5,000 for the Emerging Professional Award. Fellows are required to offer at least one exhibit or performance during the upcoming year, providing an opportunity for the public to experience their work.

“Individual Artist Fellowship grants recognize Delaware artists for their outstanding work and commitment to artistic excellence. Our commitment to Delaware’s individual artists is at the heart of our work, and this year we’re thrilled to expand our support by increasing the funding pool for the Individual Artist Fellowships by 15%,” says Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “In response to the unprecedented number of applications, we are introducing a cohort of runners-up who will each receive an honorarium to recognize even more talented artists for their exceptional work and dedication to their craft.”

“Providing unrestricted funding to artists through the Individual Artist Fellowships allows them the flexibility to invest in their craft, explore new ideas, and focus on their work without financial constraints. These grants not only support individual growth but also enrich communities and contribute to the local economy by fostering a thriving cultural ecosystem,” says Program Officer Roxanne Stanulis.

The Masters Fellowship is open to rotating artistic disciplines each year. For 2025, Masters Fellowship applications were accepted in Literary Arts and Media Arts from artists who had previously received an Established Professional Fellowship. In addition to exemplifying high artistic quality, Masters Fellowship applicants must demonstrate their involvement and commitment to the arts in Delaware and beyond.

Viet Dinh is the DDOA 2025 Master Fellow in the field of Literature: Fiction. Dinh was born in Vietnam and grew up in Colorado. He attended Johns Hopkins University and the University of Houston and currently teaches at the University of Delaware. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, as well as an O. Henry Prize. His stories have appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, Witness, Fence, Five Points, Chicago Review, the Threepenny Review, and the Greensboro Review, and his debut novel, “After Disasters,” was released in 2016.

Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2025 Individual Artist Fellows:

Masters Fellow

Viet Dinh, Literature: Fiction, Newark

Established Fellows

Judy Catterton, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Rehoboth Beach

Geraldo Gonzalez, Visual Arts: Works on Paper, Wilmington

Ananya Goswami, Dance: Choreography, Bear

Makeda Hampton, Music: Solo Recital, New Castle

Linda Susan Jackson, Literature: Poetry, Smyrna

Dennis Lawson, Literature: Fiction, Newark

Nadjah Nicole, Music: Contemporary Performance, Wilmington

Damon Pla, Visual Arts: Painting, Dagsboro

Rob Sample, Visual Arts: Painting, Clayton

Adam Vidiksis, Music: Composition, Wilmington

Shannon Woodloe, Visual Arts: Photography, Wilmington

Emerging Fellows

Paula Brown, Visual Arts Painting, Wilmington

Renita Coursey, Folk Art: Visual Arts, Wilmington

Irene Fick, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Lewes

Don James, Visual Arts: Photography, Milton

Tim Lynch, Literature: Poetry, Wilmington

Maximillian Remmler, Media Arts: Video/Film, Newark

August Ryan, Literature: Fiction, Wilmington

Shana Starks aka “Blue Tulip”, Music: Contemporary Performance, Wilmington

Benjamin Wagner, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Wilmington

Runners Up

Mary Jane Arden, Visual Arts: Works on Paper, Wilmington

Jamie Brown, Literature: Poetry, Milton

Kimberly Burnett, Literature: Fiction, Rehoboth Beach

Gale Cornelia Flynn, Literature: Creative Nonfiction, Hockessin

Alexander Hill, Literature: Poetry, Middletown

L. Jackola, Literature: Fiction. Middletown

Blazo Kovacevic, Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary, Newark

Jennifer Lang, Music: Solo Recital, Wilmington

Judith Loeber, Visual Arts: Painting, Millsboro

Chris Morrow, Folk Art: Music, Lewes

Kiandra Parks, Media Arts: Video/Film, Wilmington

Christina Peters, Visual Arts: Photography, Newark

Aki Torii, Visual Arts: Sculpture, Wilmington

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

The next deadline for 2026 Individual Artist Fellowship applications will be Thursday, August 1, 2025 by 11:59 p.m.