The Delaware College of Art & Design is offering a series of one day courses, open to the public.

http://www.dcad.edu/site/continuing_education/course_listing/special_events

"Arts & Crafternoons: Sundays at DCAD

Join artists and designers to take part in fun make-and-take

activities that get you out and into an artistic environment

where you will be inspired to create. All makers, creators,

crafters and those who wish to take a few hours to learn

something new are welcome. Come prepared to experiment

and have fun!

Session hours and tuition may vary by project. Basic materials

are included in tuition and participants are welcome to bring

their own materials to further personalize each project.

No registration fee is required to attend these workshops.

Sign up for the entire series and save 10% on tuition."

You know that "IN Wilmington" ad campaign? The city is holding a contest for a new design for the official pin.

The winner gets an internship with a graphic design company, as well as other prizes.  Know any aspiring designers?  From the IN Wilmington site:

"Think you've got what it takes to design the next IN pin? Well, then prove it! The winning design will be produced and distributed during IN Wilmington Week, a 9 day celebration of arts and entertainment involving over 50 organizations IN Wilmington, September 22 - September 30. The winning designer also receives an internship with the IN Campaign and Mobius New Media in addition to their pick of available prizes including concert tickets, merchandise prize packs, gift certificates and more! Submit your pin design HERE by August 24th for consideration. "

Coming this weekend: "Art Is Date Night" at the Delaware Art Museum, Friday.

Art Is Date Night is a night of playing with wet clay and drinking alcohol in the ceramics studio of the Delaware Art Museum.  What's not to like?  From their description:

"Sick of the dinner and movie routine? Then bring a friend or date to mix, mingle, and get a little messy in the Museum’s ceramics studio!  Supplies, beer, wine and light snacks are provided."

I'm telling you this in advance because you have to register in advance by visiting this registration form.  The event is for 21+ only, and lasts from 7-9pm.  Also, at $30 for students and $35 for anyone else, it's a little more expensive than a movie -- but, if you forego dinner and just get some small plates at a place like Piccolina Toscana afterwards, it could actually be cheaper than the dinner/movie routine, no?

The details, again:

What: Art Is Date Night, a night of playing with clay with other couples, with drinks and snacks provided.
Where: Delaware Art Museum's ceramics studio
When: This Friday, Feb. 24, from 7-9pm
Cost: $30 for students, $35 for others
For: Anyone 21 or over
Register: at this site.

From http://www.delart.org/prog_events/adult_prog/workshop_clay_date.html

Mark you calender for Friday's Art Is Social event at the Delaware Art Museum.

I haven't made it out to one of these yet, but they look like an awesome time and only happen once every few months:

"Save the date for the next Art is Social party at the Museum (Friday 2/11), this time with more galleries open, featuring our Howard Pyle exhibition! Pirate customes are encouraged, so stop by the Museum to have a look at the exhibit yourself if you need some inspiration.

$5 admission and $1-3 drinks, FREE beer and wine tastings, DJs, and other fun surprises you'll hear about later--so save the date!

P.S. also, save the SNOW date of Friday Feb 24th, same time, in case that four-letter-word alters our plans!"

Delaware Center for Horticulture brings a veggie garden to the "food desert" of Southbridge, Wilmington.

Good on them.  I used to have to travel to Southbridge once a week in a former career, and if there's a neighborhood in Wilmington that needs help, it's that one.  And not only did DCH and the Master Gardeners of NCCo team up to bring a big community garden to Southbridge, they installed a beautiful mural on the adjoining building.  It's worth clicking on the story just to see the mural.  Really well done!

Link to the story in the News Journal: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111225/GARDENER0103/112250311

WTB's recommendations for shopping locally this holiday season

Small Business Day isn't officially until Saturday, but any day is a good time to support local businesses.  You're not only supporting business owners, but also their employees, their local suppliers, and the employees of the local suppliers, possibly your own neighbors.  I don't mean to turn this into an anti-Walmart rant, but when you buy from a local small business you're also helping to stave off the slow but relentless encroachment of national conglomerates and big box stores into our shopping districts.

The following are some of my favorite ideas for local shopping:


Arden Holiday Shop at Gild Hall.
Sunday November 27th, 11am-4pm
2126 'The Highway' (off of Harvey Rd.)
Art, pottery and crafts made by locals

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rainbow Records
What was once a small empire of stores in Delaware has now boiled down to one very small store, occupying a corner of the larger room it once was.  It's almost hard to believe that this is the same Rainbow as the vast store on Concord Pike that I built my first CD collection from in the early nineties. Needless to say, Rainbow Records could use your business, whether it be for LPs, CDs, or books.  But it seems to me that, even though the owner has had to whittle down his former local chain to one tiny spot, he's still living his dream.  Maybe more so now than before.  Now he's catering to avid record collectors (his people, I imagine), and that's probably what he set out to do in the first place.  The guy's been through a lot - let's help him retain this piece of his dream.
Rainbow will be having Black Friday version of Record Store Day specials, in addition to their usual deals (I think they had everything Black Keys discounted this week, for instance).

Hours are slightly longer on weekends but you can always count on them being open 11-7, 11-5 on Sundays.

54 E. Main St., Newark DE, 19711
302-368-7738
http://www.rainbow-online.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bellefonte Arts
This recently-opened shop, by the people who run the Bellefonte Arts Festival, features arts and crafts from local artists.  They also plan to host shows and events, and are a very worthy endeavor to support.
Tues-Sat. 11-6, Sunday 11-4.
803 Brandywine Blvd, Bellefonte DE 19809
302-762-4278
http://www.bellefontearts.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Chef's Haven
Cooking supplies, classes, gourmet take-out
But what caught my eye is that they will sharpen knives for you.  This is a great gift for foodies and serious home cooks.  Don't buy an automatic knife sharpener from a big box kitchen store - it will ruin good blades.  Have a professional like the owner of this store, chef Mark, 'tune up' your honey's best knives.

1304 Old Lancaster Pike, Hockessin
Hours: Tues-Fri, 10-6:30; Sat. & Sun. 10-4.  Closed Mondays.
http://chefshavenonline.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spaceboy Clothing
Besides offering interesting clothing and tchotchkes for the more punk-rock minded among us, they're running a great deal on one-off customized t-shirts this week.  Through Saturday the 26th, you can select an American Apparel t-shirt of your choice, provide the shop with a design to be screen-printed, and get a single, customized t-shirt for only $30.  Yes, I wouldn't normally call $30 for a t-shirt a deal, but when you're getting it screen-printed to your specifications and the shop is willing to do a batch of just one t-shirt, that's a really great deal. 

2306 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington DE, 19805
302-225-9781
http://www.spaceboyclothing.com/
Hours: Mon-Fri 10-7, Saturday 12-5, closed Sunday

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kinetic Skateboarding

I was going to say that this will only interest the skateboarders, but in looking at their website it seems they have way more than just skateboard equipment, and are worth dropping in on, for the rest of us.  (I desperately wanted to learn to skateboard at one time, but didn't have the balance for it.  It is like a hot knife through my cold, dark heart every time I see some little kid get the hang of it immediately).  This shop, which recently celebrated the opening of a 2nd location in Haddonfield, is owned by a young father of two with connections to the local music world.  He's good peeps, and this shop deserves your business.

Hours: Mon-Sat. 10-8, Sunday noon-5.

5319 Concord Pike
Wilm. DE
302-477-1533
http://kineticskateboarding.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Newark Arts Alliance's Holiday Art Market

Arts and crafts made by locals, including textiles, jewelry, ceramics, children's items, photography, paintings, glassware, and more.  The market will be holding a reception on December 2nd, 8pm, during which you can meet the artists and crafts people.
276 E. Main St.
Newark DE 19711
Runs Nov. 22-Dec. 31 from 11am-3pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accent Music
Accent, a two-store small business, is in a little bit of a struggle right now with the newer and larger Guitar Center that just opened.  The thing to remember about Accent is that they employ not just the men and women selling guitar strings and amps, but literally dozens of music teachers.  You're helping all of them out when you choose Accent over Guitar Center, when possible.  (They are not paying me to post this coupon, though I do have several friends who work there).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honorable mentions: Grass Roots, Wild Birds Unlimited, Harvest Market, Delaware Local Food Exchange: good gifts for mom and dad and your granola sister.

Amazing folk art at the Center for the Contemprary Arts

An exhibit called Five Stumps, running now through mid-February, features the hand-hooked wool rug art of Baltimore artist Susie Brandt.  I know what you're thinking: "Great - more Etsy old lady art that the world doesn't need".  But there's so much more than that going on here.  For one thing, Brandt bases the designs on graphite etchings that she takes of old tree stumps in Baltimore city parks.  The artist, a fibers instructor at Maryland Institute College of Art, doesn't then buy skeins of wool to make her stump design rugs.  She repurposes clothes and blankets from thrift stores, and uses those materials to create the colorful designs.  The tree stump etchings, the repurposed fibers - I'm totally sold.
It's an obvious and yet totally original idea.  One of those - "Wow - I wish I had A) thought of that and B) had the technical know-how to execute it" ideas.  I love folk-art like that.

One of the rugs that will be on display at the Delaware Center for Contemprary Art.  What you might not be able to tell from the picture is that the rug is sitting on top of the tree stump that inspired it
:

Link to exhibition info: http://www.thedcca.org/exhibit/five-stumps



Delaware Art Museum starts celebrating 100 years in the business today.

They don't officially turn 100 until 2012, but they're kicking off the centennial celebrations today.  Check out what they have planned for the coming weeks: http://www.delart.org/home.html

Also: Happy Nigel Tufnel day!

Weekend spotlight: Art Is Social event at the Delaware Art Museum.

There is so much going on with this event that a short mention in my weekend listings doesn't do it justice.  Yes this is an attempt to bring younger people into the art museum's doors, but in my eyes, it's one of the most interesting, sophisticated things going on in Wilmington this season (burlesque model sketching session paired with cheap drinks?  Oh, this is going to be good).  In the museum's words:

Art Is Social.  Friday October 14th, 8-11pm.  $5.  Delaware Art Museum.

Mix up your social scene and head to the Delaware Art Museum for a night of free beer and wine tasting, salty snacks, experimental DJs, burlesque entertainment, and of course, art! Check out magazine illustrations by famed local artist and illustrator Howard Pyle and then try your hand at sketching some burlesque models clad in period costumes from Dr. Sketchy's Philadelphia! Never picked up a pad and pencil? Don’t worry, all amateurs are welcome (or if you just want to stand around and stare that’s okay too). Oh, did I mention that we'll have $1 - $4 drinks AND that we're within walking distance of Trolley Square?

Can’t wait to RSVP? Click here to register, then flash your printed confirmation receipt at the door for faster entrance. Payment is also accepted at the door.

Not sure and want to know more? Call 302.351.8520, email handerson@delart.orgor keep an eye out for more info in Out & About Magazine and Spark Weekly. Learn more about Dr. Sketchy at drsketchyphilly.com

Farewell to nationally-known Wilmington painter Edward Loper.

Delaware Online has the story: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111010/NEWS/110100319/Painter-teacher-Ed-Loper-dies-inspired-generations?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CHome%7Cp

Opportunity for artists - I don't understand it, but am going to help promote it anyway.

This opportunity is open to digital artists.  Just don't ask me what 'digital art' is.   Is that where you make pictures out of ones and zeros?  What?  I must be too old to wrap my brain around this concept.  Maybe you know what this all means.

From Delaware Division of the Arts:

"DE digital artists – check out this cool project! Art in the Air is a digital art initiative developed through a Breadboard & PECO partnership. The PECO Crown Lights (atop the PECO building at 23rd & Market streets) will serve as an exhibition venue. Select artists works will be on view every Friday evening for one month from 7pm to midnight."

Link: http://breadboardphilly.org/programs/art-in-the-air-2

(Side note, because I'll never be too old for bathroom humor:  when you click on the above link from the Facebook page I found it on, Facebook inserts random F's into the address before converting it to the real address.  Because of this, the link at the top of my screen briefly said "Fart-in-the-air").

Fringe Festival Wilmington has announced its list of performers and participants.

The festival will be held September 21st-25th in locations throughout Wilmington.  Congrats to the artists who made the list. 

 

Performance Fringe:

21st Century Ballet (First State Ballet Theatre, Wilmington, DE)
A Contemporary Folk Evening with Flyground (FlyGround, Philadelphia, PA)
All Over—A Blue’s Play (Jamie J. Brunson, Claymont, DE)
Chandroutie: A Voyage Beyond Kala Pani (Usiloquy Dance Design, Philadelphia, PA)
Clamour (Darrell Brock, New Castle, DE)
Dirk Darrow; NCSSI (Tim Motley, Cherry Hill, NJ)
The Durty, Durty Clown Show, plus Naked Clowns (Steven Lampredi, Baltimore, MD)
Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story (Chapel Street Players, Newark, DE)
Foolhardy ( Patrick Combs, Encinitas, CA)
Friend of the Groom (Mark Mobley, Lewes, DE)
Glass Houses (The Beggars Group, Brooklyn, NY)
He Was Either Well and Over It, Or Lost and Gone Forever (Courtney Colon, Westmont, NJ)
Juxtaposed (Pieces of A Dream, Wilmington, DE)
The Last American Gladiator (Slash Coleman, Richmond, VA)
Mint Julip Goes to Foodieland (Judith Pojda, Baltimore, MD)
No Alto Left Behind (Augustine Mercante, Wilmington, DE)
One Word (MM2 Modern Dance Company, Landsdowne, PA)
Please Don’t Beat Me Up; Stories and Artifacts from Adolescence (Adam Ruben, Washington, DC)
Poetik Blues: A Sistah’s Story (Karen Moore, Philadelphia, PA)
The Road to High Street (Andrew Potter, Jamestown, RI)
Sacred and Scared Get the Same Score in Scrabble (Charles Shafer, Baltimore, MD)
Special Ed (Empress Joyner, Bowie, MD)
Tricked Out: Chicago vs. Philly (Randy Shine, Philadelphia, PA)
Une Soire Au Cabaret (SHARP Dance Company, Philadelphia, PA)
The XX Chromosome Genome Project (Sherna Ann Johnson, Baltimore, MD)

Cinema Fringe:

The Film Brothers Festival of Shorts at Fringe Wilmington (Film Brothers, Wilmington, DE)
The Playstation Killed the Puppet (Charles N. Mosley, Jr., Philadelphia, PA)

Visual Fringe:

Jen Brown (Baltimore, MD)
Nicole FitzGibbon (Wilmington, DE)
All Over—A Blue’s Play (Jamie J. Brunson, Claymont, DE)
Stephanie Geffert (Bear, DE)
David Nordheimer (Arden, DE)
Mimi Owens (Springfield, VA)
Christopher Ray (Swarthmore, PA)
Kristin J. Sareyka (Newark, DE)

Bellefonte Arts Fest is turning into a permanent, brick-and-mortar Bellefonte Arts Center.

 It won't be open until the fall, but they're putting out a call for artists and art teachers who might utilize and develop the planned space.  Here's the flyer with the details:

Internship and employment opportunties at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts

1) DCCA seeks recent college graduates to be fall interns.  Details here:

http://www.thedcca.org/internship


2) DCCA seeks part-time (highly qualified) 'education assistant'

By the way, I love these job postings that basically read: work part time so we don't have to pay you benefits, be little more than a girl / boy Friday, and oh, by the way, we'd like you to have a related masters degree and to be able to submit a "writing sample".  Do these candidates exist?  Employers are obviously banking on the idea that, in this economy, they do.  Well good luck to employer and employment-seekers.

EDUCATION ASSISTANT 
The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DCCA), a non-collecting art museum located on Wilmington’s Riverfront, is seeking a twenty-hour per week, part-time Education Assistant beginning on or about September 15th, 2011 for a one-year appointment. The Education Assistant assists the Curator of Education with the development and implementation of the DCCA’s varied and numerous education programs. The Education Assistant is responsible for administrative duties, program assistance and documentation, tour scheduling, and overall programmatic support. The Education Assistant maintains the tour schedule and serves as the primary contact for the DCCA Guide Program.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in related field required, master’s degree or equivalent preferred. Minimum two years related work experience required.

Qualifications/ Skills

The position requires a detail-oriented multi-tasker who is familiar with contemporary art and museum education. The DCCA seeks an individual who works well in a team situation, is flexible, and has a strong work ethic; good writing and computer skills are essential.

Application deadline: August 22, 2011.

Applicant will be eligible to re-apply for this position beyond the completion date if funding becomes available.

Please email resume, cover letter, three references, and writing sample to

Curator of Education, Jane Chesson at jchesson@thedcca.org by August 22, 2011. 

Posted: August 3, 2011

Free admission to the Brandywine River Museum today, Tuesday.

The reason?  Today is Andrew Wyeth's birthday.  The museum will be open until 4:30pm today.  Oh, and there will be cake.  (In the shape of a yellow lab?  A white barn?  Helga's braids?  Who knows).

Interested in being a guest curator for the New Wilmington Art Association?

"RSVP annually invites a talented young curatorial voice to jury the works of artists from around the United States. These selections will be presented in a two-month exhibition at the NWAA in Wilmington each September and October."  The deadline to apply is June 30.  Click the link for details and application.

http://thenwaa.org/2011/03/17/rsvppost/

Two job opportunities in the arts:

Via the Delaware Division of the Arts:

"Pegasus ArtWorks is looking for teaching artists for their fall programming! Pegasus is the after school Art program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware. They provide services and opportunities for club youth ages 5-16 to work with professional teaching artists. Pegasus works to inspire and enable young people to realize their full potential and to prepare youth for successful adulthood through access to the arts."

Visit for complete details: http://bgclubs.org/opportunities.aspx

--------------------------------

Also, the Grand Opera House is still searching for a full-time marketing associate:

"The Marketing Associate is a newly created full-time position at The Grand intended to develop and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy for Community Engagement programs. Community Engagement is the department of The Grand charged with creating stronger relationships with the community through arts education and enrichment programs."

This is only the first paragraph of the job description, to read the rest, visit:
http://www.thegrandwilmington.org/About/Employment

Summer studio art classes start Monday at the Delaware Art Museum.

Classes are for adults only.  Full course catalogue can be found here: http://www.delart.org/education/studio_program/schedule_at_a_glance.html

Delaware Art Museum is looking for a full-time Graphic Designer for a 6-month temp position.

View the details here: http://www.delart.org/about/opportunities.html

Budding designers: come to a meeting at DCAD to learn about the American Batik Design Competition

It's being held Thursday at 2pm, at the Delaware College of Art & Design on lower Market St.  I would assume admission is free, and it's open to the public.  DCAD's blurb:

"You are invited to learn about the American Batik Design Competition. Meet representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia and learn more about the competition and prizes. The competition is open to all designers and artists ages 16 and older!"

For more info about the competition:
http://americanbatik.embassyofindonesia.org/

For more info about DCAD: http://www.dcad.edu/