The BIGGS Museum

Loving Traditions: The Ann Marcus Valentines Card Collection
2011-02-03 - 2011-03-25
FEBRUARY 3, 2011 – MARCH 25, 2011
Valentines cards have been popularly printed, mailed and received in Europe and America since the 1800s. Printing innovations of the Industrial Revolution and the professionalization of the U.S. postal service ushered in a large number of card manufacturers. The design of early Valentines cards drew from popular art forms of the day decorated with the iconic Valentine decorative motifs of flowers, hearts and cupids.Collapsible three-dimensional, or “pop-up” cards, became especially popular with the addition of delicate layers of brightly-colored tissue paper and a sculptural quality that were easily mailed. The Biggs Museum is pleased to present a large sample of the late 19th- and early 20th-century pop-up Valentine card collection of Ann Marcus. Mrs. Marcus has been collecting these delicate art forms for over fifteen years and has amassed a collection of hundreds of cards.

Behind the Blue Doors: Famous Creations from the Rehoboth Art League
2010-11-05 - 2011-02-20
November 5, 2010 – February 20, 2011
Behind the Blue Doors: Famous Works from the Rehoboth Art League Collection is the first critical examination of the rarely-seen permanent collection of the Rehoboth Art League (RAL). Founded in the early 1930s, the RAL quickly became a regional hot bed of artistic production and has collected hundreds of art works from area artist masters for the past eighty years. Without a comprehensive catalogue of its important collection or large-scale galleries to display these works, the Rehoboth Art League is partnering with the Biggs Museum of American Art to debut its important collection of regional modernism to the public.
The exhibition will feature approximately 60 memorable art works from the RAL permanent collection featuring nearly 50 noted artists. Of special interest are artworks made in the first 40 years of the RAL’s history, a time when Rehoboth Art League instructors like Jack Lewis, Ethel Leach, Orville Peets and Howard Schroeder were coming into local prominence. Behind the Blue Doors will also explore controversies surrounding its long-range plans for growth and for the care of the permanent collection. In a story remarkably similar to Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation, the RAL’s need to conserve and utilize the historic structures on its campus, to expand visitation and to care for its growing permanent collection, is conflicting with zoning regulations of the town that has grown up around the Art League, Henlopen Acres.
“Behind the Blue Doors is a unique collaboration between two arts organizations, each with separate missions and audiences, working towards an achievement of an even greater and universal mission which is to educate and develop awareness of the arts,” states Biggs Museum of American Art Director Linda Danko. “It is partnerships like this that will enable arts and culture to grow in Delaware, especially in Kent and Sussex County.”
The Rehoboth Art League, founded by Louise C. Corkran, is a nationally important center of 20th century artistic production within the historic art colony of Rehoboth Beach. Since the late 19th century, artists throughout the eastern seaboard have frequented Rehoboth Beach as an established artist retreat. Other artists’ retreats of national significance include North Carolina’s Penland School; New Hope, Pennsylvania; Provincetown, Massachusetts; Monhegan Island, Maine; and Old Lyme, Connecticut. Like these art destinations, Rehoboth Beach has been a site of artistic instruction for over a hundred years with classes hosted by art groups based throughout the State of Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Since its opening in the 1930s, the RAL has been a focal point for a community of hundreds artists centered in Sussex County and the State of Delaware.
Behind the Blue Doors tells the early story of the RAL while discussing its significance to America. There are few precious collections of this magnitude that feature art works by Delaware artists inspired by early notions of 20th-century modernism; this is an extremely rare opportunity to see masterpieces by some of the State’s most admired artists. The lives of the artists and their artistic production will help tell the history of the RAL and describe its importance within the cultural life of the region.

Visions of Dignity
2010-09-15 - 2010-10-15
SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 – OCTOBER 15, 2010
The Biggs Museum of American Art is partnering, once again, with the Delaware State Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs (GACHA) to present the exhibition Visions of Dignity, a celebration of Hispanic artists working in the Mid-Atlantic region. The exhibit features the varied artistic points of view from a vibrant local culture. At the same time, Visions of Dignity artists create windows to see into their own cultural origins. Visions of Dignity invited artists to participate who identify as Latin American or U.S. Latino, including those artists from Spanish, Portuguese, French and English speaking countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, living or working in the State of Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Of all the submissions, forty art works by fourteen artists were selected. The following sculptors, painters, photographers and printmakers were selected by GACHA members, Keyla Rivero-Rodriguez, Eli Ramos and Charito Calvachi-Mateyko, to participate in Visions of Dignity:
Alicia Bonilla-Puig (Landenberg, PA)Alicia Dominguez (Wilmington, DE)Magaly Garza (Fairfax, VA)Masplata (Dover, DE)Maria de los Angeles Morales (Paoli, PA)Luis A. Morales (West Chester, PA)Mara Odette (Buffalo, NY)Claudia Olivos (Arlington, VA)Sergio Olivos (Arlington, VA)Gustavo Rojas (Teaneck, NJ)Nikki Schiro (New York, NY)Nicolas F. Shi (Washington, DC)Miguel Tio (New York, NY)Raul Villarreal (Verona, NJ)
The exhibition explores the theme of “dignity” through artistic representations of the experience of being Latino in America. The artists chosen for this exhibition have utilized symbols of Hispanic family life, traditions, geographies and other signifiers of Hispanic identity to communicate the stories of their journey through the United States.
To compliment the Visions of Dignity exhibition, GACHA organizers also plan to unveil six paintings by contemporary Hispanic artists from private collections within the State of Delaware, including the Norma Varisco de Garcia Collection as well as works from the collections of Miguel Valazquez and Eli Ramos. These collections are over thirty years in the making and have rarely been seen in public before now. These six works will be on view in The Biggs’ children’s gallery, Sewell’s Studio, for the duration of the Visions of Dignity exhibition.
Please join us at the Biggs Museum of American Art as we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with the Visions of Dignity public reception on September 15, 2010. This rare opportunity brings together the Museum’s audiences with noted Hispanic artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Award Winners X and Reunion
2010-07-02 - 2010-10-24
JULY 2, 2010 – OCTOBER 24, 2010
For ten years, the Biggs Museum has partnered with the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) to showcase the artistic talents of Delaware in an annual summer exhibition. The annual Award Winners exhibition features the talent of the current Individual Artist Fellows of the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA). Delaware artists: painters, photographers, sculptors, writers, musicians and craft artisans, have the honor of winning the DDOA’s annual distinguished fellowship prizes. The fellows are chosen by a committee from hundreds of entrees. In a partnership with the DDOA, the staff of the Biggs Museum invites each year’s Award Winners to the only group exhibition honoring their combined accomplishment.In celebration of the ten anniversary of the annual Award Winners exhibition, the Biggs Museum has invited all of the past individual fellowship recipients to participate in a reunion exhibition of their works. Over thirty artists featured in the Award Winners exhibition in the past ten years will participate in the reunion exhibition alongside the 2010 individual fellows and share their recent work with the public.The annual Award Winners exhibition is one of the most important annual projects at the Biggs Museum in carrying out its mission to celebrate artistic diversity, provide public educational access to Delaware’s fine-arts community, and to bring more awareness of both the museum and art to the community. Award Winners traces the evolution of the local art scene in Delaware and is presented to the public with hopes of encouraging conversation, comparison, debate and reflection of the diverse nature of work being created in Delaware.The Biggs Museum is pleased to once again feature the media and skills of all sixteen 2010 DDOA fellowship recipients. Their work lies in the areas of visual, musical, sculptural, folk art and literary arts.
The following artists are the 2010 DDOA fellowship recipients to be featured in the Award Winners X: Reunion exhibition:Visual Arts
Allison M. Haug, WilmingtonAshley J. Pigford, NewarkCybele Clark-Mendes, NewarkFelise Luchansky, WilmingtonHeather Siple, WilmingtonHunter Clark, ArdencroftLarry Anderson, WilmingtonMichael Kalmbach, NewarkNina Spencer, DoverLiteratureChristopher Childers, MiddletownTery Aine Griffin, WilmingtonL.J. Sysko, WilmingtonViet Dinh, WilmingtonMusicJerry “Crabmeat” Thompson, MiddletownMichael S. Smith, BearReunion Artists
H. Earl Abbott, Jr., Wyoming (2001)Deborah Appleby, Lewes, (2007)Carrie Anne Baade, Florida (2005)Lisa Andrea Bartolozzi, Newark (2005)Robert Bickey, Philadelphia, PA (2008)Nancy Breslin, Newark (2003 & 2008)Maureen Ciaccio, Wilmington (2007)Lori Crawford, Dover (2008)Catherine Drabkin, Wilmington (2007)Carrie Ida Edinger, Newark (2003)Marjorie Egee, Claymont (2001)Alida Fish, Wilmington (2008)Cassie Lawn Walker, Wilmington (2006)Ronald Longsdorf, Wilmington (2009)Pahl Hluchan, Wilmington (2008)Kenneth Jones, Newark (2006)Michael Jones-McKean, Arden (2003)Eunice M. LaFate, Wilmington (2004)Michael J. Matarese, Portland, OR (2007)Roger Matsumoto, Newark (2001)Thomas M. Nutter, Newark (2004)Mary Tobias Putman, Townsend (2002)Steve Rogers, Lewes (2005)Maxine Rosenthal, Wilmington (2003)Lynda Schmid, Wilmington (2005)Karin Snoots, Harbeson (2008)Stephen Tanis, Wilmington (2002)Roberta Tucci, Wilmington (2006)Andrew Wapinski, Wilmington (2008)Roldan R. West, Wilmington (2005)Karoline Wileczek, Newark (2002)Nancy Carol Willis, Middletown (2009)Carson Zullinger, Wilmington (2005)Literature
Linda S. Blaskey, Lincoln (2006)Elizabeth Dolan, Rehoboth Beach (2009)Gary Hanna, Dagsboro (2003)Steven Leech, Newark (2002)Jeffrey Little, Newark (2001)Henry Long, Wilmington (2002)Abby Millager, Newark (2009)Rachel Simon, Wilmington (2003)Billie Travalini, Wilmington (2007)Music
Catherine Marie Charlton, Avondale, PA (2002)Ms. Lori Citro, Newark (2007)

Blue Water/Still Water: American Society of Marine Artists
2010-03-05 - 2010-06-20
MARCH 5, 2010 – JUNE 20, 2010
Open March 5, 2010 – June 20, 2010
“Artists have always found inspiration in the aquatic:from the vastness of the open ocean,where clear water rolls on in deep cobalt waves,to the stillness of shallow watershedslit by the song of bullfrogs and Painted Buntings.
As members of the American Society of Marine Artists, we are some of the most ardent of these creative spirits who have followed our hearts and vision, creating beauty as we have seen it in an Aquarian world.
It’s not only the mission of the Society to educate the public to the inherent value of the marine world that surrounds us,but it is also our greatest pleasure to share these, our most treasured gifts, with you.”
-Michael KilleleaChairman of ASMA Regional Exhibitions
A must see for anyone who loves the sea. Celebrating America’s rich maritime history as a seafaring nation, this dynamic exhibition brings together over one hundred of the most talented contemporary artists in the marine art field, recognized both nationally and internationally. Quiet shorelines, harbor views, and seascapes featuring tumultuous, roaring seas are presented with luminous light and emotion. A wide array of mediums – oils, water colors, pastels, scratchboard, pencil, sculpture and scrimshaw make this a most rewarding experience for viewers and collectors alike. Founded in 1978, the American Society of Marine Artists’ purpose is to promote marine art and maritime history and to encourage cooperation among artists, historians, marine enthusiasts and others engaged in activities related to marine art and maritime history.

Arts ConnectEd
2009-11-06 - 2010-02-21
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 – FEBRUARY 21, 2010
Arts ConnectEd features the young talent of students in Delaware schools. The exhibition consists of four month-long installations, each featuring the artwork of a different school in the state of Delaware. Arts ConnectEd reflects the quality and diversity of art education in Delaware schools. The Biggs Museum is dedicated to promoting and supporting the role arts play in youth development. In addition to the four school installations, Arts ConnectEd will also feature Sewell’s Studio, an interactive creativity center, providing young museum visitors the opportunity to create works of art similar to those currently on display. The Biggs Museum is honored to foster this commitment to learning and community. Delaware Schools showcasing in Arts ConnectEd include, Holy Cross Elementary, Campus Community School, William Henry Middle School and Ursuline Academy. Each month-long exhibition will open on the November 2009, December 2009, January 2010, and February 2010 First Friday programs. The Arts ConnectED First Look! pARTies are sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Camden, DE.
The art projects to be displayed from each of the four school participants are as follows:
November 2009: Holy Cross SchoolArt Instructor: Sharon BeniniOp Art created with colored pencil in the style of Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley.
December 2009: William Henry Middle SchoolArt Instructor : Valerie ConnaghanGreeting cards decorated with collage by 5th and 6th grade students.
January 2010: Campus Community SchoolArt Instructor: Jennifer BolandRecycled art, 3-dimensional gargoyles by 6th and 7th grade students and self-portrait paintings by1st through 7th grade students.
February 2010: Ursuline AcademyArt Instructor: Erin McNicholSculpture along with a hands-on activity center by 7th through 12th grade students.
In addition to the school displays to be featured in Arts ConnectED, the Biggs Museum is proud to present two month-long exhibitions featuring artwork created through VSA (Very Special Arts of Delaware). VSA Arts of Delaware is a state-wide nonprofit arts organization dedicated to providing children and adults with disabilities opportunities to participate and achieve in the area of performing and visual arts. This admirable organization develops programs and resources to help people with disabilities develop artistic skills and enhance confidence while promotion access, inclusion and diversity.
Celebration of Creativity,will be on display in Gallery 7 from November 6, 2009 to January 3, 2010. Celebration of Creativity showcases the visual artwork produced by participants in VSA arts of Delaware’s various artist-in-residency projects during the 2008-2009 program cycle. The second VSA exhibition, A View Through My Window, will be on display in Gallery 7 from January 8, 2010 to February 28, 2010. A View Through My Window features a selection of works created through a domestic violence art project that served nearly 75 adults and children in the state of Delaware. This exhibit features canvas windows representing the messages of individuals who have experienced domestic violence first hand. Artwork included in this exhibit was created in shelters & support groups in all three counties of Delaware and poignant works of art by children who have been affected by domestic violence will also be on display. The messages conveyed by the participants make this a powerful and moving experience.

Fusion: American Classics Meet Latin American Art
2009-09-15 - 2009-10-15
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 – NOVEMBER 15, 2009
In a partnership with the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs (GACHA), the Biggs Museum will exhibit the works of contemporary Hispanic artists living or working in the State of Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic Region. This exhibition will commemorate the declaration of the Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation at the Museum on September 15, 2009. The exhibition will be strategically placed throughout Galleries Two through Seven and the Old Stair Hall Gallery alongside the Museum’s permanent collection of fine and decorative arts of the 18th and early 19th centuries that were made and used within the State of Delaware. The contemporary Hispanic works displayed will symbolically represent the parallel currents of Early-American/Spanish culture alongside the development of the American mainstream. The exhibition will highlight contrasts and continuity between the influences of contemporary Hispanic and early-American fine and decorative arts.
The following artists will be featured in Fusion: American Classics Meets Latin American Art:
Leonor Brazão: Chantilly, VAPablo Caviedes: New York, NYDavid Camero: Washington, DCFelisa Federman: Potomac, MDIliana Garcia: Brooklyn, NYMagaly Garza: Fairfax, VAMagda Korn: Hockessin, DERuben Lopez: Wilmington, DEMaria Morales: Paoli, PACarlos Nuñez: Philadelphia, PAMara Odette: Bethesda, MDJorge Posada: New York, NYGustavo Rojas: Teaneck, NJJeannette Sababa: New York, NYLuz Salas: Philadelphia, PAMarta Sanchez: Philadelphia, PANikki Schiro: New York, NYNicolas Shi: Washington, DCMiguel Tio: New York, NY
* Some portions of the Fusion exhibition, contain nudity and are of mature theme and may not be suitable for children.
Please use discretion. If you have further questions, please contact the Administrative Offices or see a Museum Interpreter when visiting the Biggs Museum.

Wish for the World
2009-08-08 - 2009-08-31
AUGUST 8, 2009 – AUGUST 31, 2009
As we look around our world today, filled with conflicts, environment destruction and human suffering, we all wish for a more peaceful, healthier and happier world. Every member of the community is invited to participate in the Wish for the World exhibition, by visiting the Museum and interpreting his or her wish for the world through art. The creation of the Wish for the World exhibition will take place at the August 2009 First Friday program. Wishes will be hung on trees and displayed during August 2009 inspiring others to think about their wish for the world.

Ellen's Wacky Chair Contest
2009-08-05 - 2009-08-31
AUGUST 5, 2009 – AUGUST 31, 2009
Open August 5, 2009 – August 31, 2009
The Biggs Museum is proud to serve as a partner alongside the Delaware State Fair, the Boys & Girls Club, WMDT and the Ellen Degeneres Show in the 2009 Ellen’s Wacky Chair Contest. In July 2009, local artists partnered with all ten Delaware Boys and Girls clubs to design and create a “wacky chair” for an episode of the Ellen Degeneres Show in September 2009. One Adirondack chair was created by a local artist for each Boys and Girls Club that incorporated the children’s ideas. All ten chairs were on display at the 2009 Delaware State Fair from July 23rd until August 1st. The chairs will be on display throughout the Permanent Collection at the Biggs Museum during the remainder of the month of August. The public is invited to vote for their favorite chair on the Boys & Girls Club web-site (www.bgclubs.org) from July 23rd until August 28th. All voters are encouraged to make a $1 donation on the web-site that will directly benefit Boy and Girls Clubs of Delaware and Maryland and the Biggs Museum. On Monday, August 31st, the winning chair will be announced. The winning artist, and Director of the winning Boys and Girls Club will attend an episode of the Ellen Degeneres Show when Ellen will sit in the “Wacky Chair.” One random voter will also be drawn to win two tickets to the Ellen Degeneres Show along with airfare and hotel accommodations.

Award Winners
2009-07-03 - 2009-10-25
JULY 3, 2009 – OCTOBER 25, 2009
Open July 3, 2009 – October 25, 2009
Award Winners features the talent of the current Individual Artist Fellows of the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA). These artists: painters, photographers, writers, musicians and craft artisans, have the honor of winning the DDOA’s annual distinguished fellowship prizes. The fellows are chosen by a committee from hundreds of entrees. In a partnership with the DDOA, the staff of the Biggs Museum invites the Award Winners to the only group exhibition honoring their combined accomplishment. The Award Winners exhibition will feature the media of all winning artists. This time-honored exhibition is among one of the best opportunities to experience the Delaware art scene.The Biggs Museum congratulates the 2009 Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Fellows:2009 Masters Fellow
Christiaan Taggart: Music, Solo Recital
Established
Ronald Brignac: Visual Arts, PhotographyNancy Carol Willis: Visual Arts, Works on PaperRobert Davis: Literature, Creative NonfictionElizabeth Dolan: Literature, PoetryEileen Grycky: Music, Solo RecitalRamona Long: Literature, FictionRonald Longsdorf: Visual Arts, Sculpture
Emerging
Abby Millager: Literature, PoetryStephen Ruszkowski: Visual Arts, Painting

The Sculpture of Light: Volterra, Italy in Delaware
2009-04-04 - 2009-06-21
APRIL 4, 2009 – JUNE 21, 2009
In a partnership with the Appoquinimink School District and the Volterra, Italy delegation, the Museum is pleased to present The Sculpture of Light: Volterra, Italy in Delaware: an exhibition celebrating the international artist-in-residency program with the Appoquinimink School District as well as the continuing, rich Volterran tradition of alabaster sculptures in Delaware. In early spring 2009, the Appoquinimink School District will host an artist-in-residency program with Volterra, Italy, brining Roberto Chiti, an alabaster sculptor, to teach students in grades 6-12 traditional sculpture techniques. The Sculpture of Light features over 200 works of the program’s participants as well as the work of Roberto Chiti and a selection of historic sculpture recently featured in Volterran exhibition, Scultura Di Luceoneto.

Biggs Shot 2009
2009-03-04 - 2009-06-28
MARCH 4, 2009 – JUNE 28, 2009
Biggs Shot 2009 is the second juried photography competition and exhibition featuring the work of new and emerging photographers, working and/or living in the Mid-Atlantic region. The inaugural Biggs Shot competition in 2005 attracted over 130 applicants within the region. Sally Packard and Dinah Reath, owner of the Packard Reath Gallery, Ryan Grover, Biggs Museum Curator, and Catherine Ware, Curator of Photographs from the Philadelphia Museum of Art selected 40 photographs, which were exhibited at the Biggs Museum November 2008 through February 2006. The Biggs Shot 2009: Competition drew 500 works from over 150 individual applicants. Stephen Perloff, editor of The Photo Review and The Photograph Collector, served as the juror of the Biggs Shot 2009 Competition. Perloff selected 80 photographs to be displayed in the Biggs Shot 2009 Exhibition held this spring. The Biggs Shot 2009 Exhibition offers visitors a wide range of local photographers’ works and their perspectives: a glimpse of the creativity and innovation occurring in our region by photographers of all skill levels. Biggs Shot 2009 images are displayed side-by-side, inviting open discussion and comparison. Biggs Shot 2009 supports the Museum’s mission in tracing the evolution of the local scene through exhibition and documentation of works created today. Biggs Shot 2009 marks the first on-line exhibition hosted by the Biggs Museum on its web-site. Biggs Shot 2009: On-Line creates a virtual exhibition experience for members of the public who are unable to visit the Museum during the exhibition. All 80 selected images are available for view in Biggs Shot 2009: On-Line in addition to Q&A sessions with the photographers.

Forgotten Dreams:The Paintings of Edward Grant
2008-11-05 - 2009-02-22
November 5, 2008 – February 22, 2009
The first retrospective of this artist’s work and his incredibly long and distinguished life within the region, both as a prolific painter as well as a successful graphic artist for one of Wilmington’s best-known companies. Edward Grant’s artistic career spanned an astounding seven decades. While so many of his contemporaries moved to the ideal rural setting of the Delmarva Peninsula, Grant grew up, was trained, and practiced his craft within the region. His dedication to the development of the local art scene gave him, in our opinion, a unique perspective on the spaces, customs, and values he observed throughout his entire life. His earliest works exhibit the social realism of the late 20s and 30s, while his war-period works experimented with the contemporary trends of Cubism and Abstraction. He also was a successful graphic artist for one of Wilmington’s best-known and most successful companies, as well as a prolific painter. His later works, after 1968, are among his most highly regarded for their distinctive interpretations of life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Grant’s artistic associations throughout the Delmarva Peninsula were extremely wide; he learned from some of Delaware’s greatest artists, was active in nearly every major arts organization within the state before 1970, was at the center of the Delaware arts communities, and was a life-long art instructor to hundreds of students. Forgotten Dreams will encompass an exhibition of works from the Biggs Museum, the artist’s own collection, and private collections throughout the region, accompanied by the first-ever retrospective publication of this important Delaware artist, which will review Grant’s large body of work in relation to his biography and significant historic moments that impacted the populations of the Delmarva Peninsula.

On a Smaller Scale: Dollhouses
2008-11-05 - 2009-02-22
NOVEMBER 5, 2008 – FEBRUARY 22, 2009
Open November 5, 2008 – February 22, 2009
On a Smaller Scale features the recent acquisition of three exceptional dollhouses from the now closed Delaware Toy and Miniature Museum (DTMM), created by Dover resident, Barbara Merrell. These homes were commended by DTMM for their high degree of naturalistic detail within the incredibly small scale of one-half inch to one foot. Ms. Merrell’s homes are half the size of the industry standard for most doll houses at one inch to a foot but Ms. Merrell’s works are literally half the size. In addition, nearly every object furnishing these mini homes: the furniture, the textiles, the household items, were all made from Ms. Merrell’s hands.

Greetings from Delaware
2008-09-20 - 2008-10-19
SEPTEMBER 20, 2008 – OCTOBER 19, 2008
Greetings from Delaware and Other Artist Communities, features over 250 hand-made greeting cards, the majority of the Jann Haynes Gilmore and B. Joyce Puckett collection, by both regional and national professional artists. The exhibition will be filled with artful greetings manufactured and sent by artists such as, Rockwell Kent, N.C. Wyeth, Blanche Lazell, Ethel Leach, Frank Schoonover and John Sloan. The display of these cards will be highlighted by many full-scale paintings and fine-art prints by several of the featured artists.
As objects designed and often printed by professional artists, the cards of this collection display poignant and timeless visual messages through expert craftsmanship. At the same time, these artist-generated cards from Delaware, the mid-Atlantic region and throughout the country offered their admirers a unique view into little-known regions of the American art scene of the first half of the twentieth century. In a period full of changing social values and economic hardships, the cards of the Gilmore/Puckett collection demonstrate the versatility and perseverance of American artists under tremendous adversity. Perhaps more importantly, these images supplied novel interpretations of universally cherished notions of community, family, beauty, and hope at a time when Americans often needed them most, during the holidays.

From Four Studios: First State Modernism
2008-09-20 - 2008-10-19
SEPTEMBER 20, 2008 – OCTOBER 19, 2008
From Four Studios: First State Modernism is the first major exhibition of the State’s Modernist art collection. The show presents key examples of works by four seminal figures in early 20th – century painting of Delaware: Jack Lewis (b. 1912), Howard Schroeder (1910-1995), Orville Peets (1881-1968) and Ethel Peets (1886-1978). Over the last ten years, the private studio collections and an assortment of personal possessions of these four professional artists have been gifted to the State’s collection. Each of these artists was professionally trained painters and art instructors in Delaware during the adventurous introduction of European Modernism into the American art scene. The extensive holdings of each of the four collections include large caches of the artists’ works, works by their artistic contemporaries, art supplies and studio tools, as well as extensive archival materials on the artists’ careers and lives.
The exhibition introduces the work of these four artists, as represented by the State’s extensive collections, within the historical context of the introduction of European Modernism. These artists’ careers are presented in light of the direct influence of the new ideas of Cubism, Social Realism, and Abstraction on the American art scene. We will elicit common threads between each of these artists that connected them to exciting external influences of the art centers of New York and Paris during the first half of the 20th century. This exhibition positions Delaware as a regional recipient of this groundbreaking influence.

Young at Art
2008-09-20 - 2008-10-19
SEPTEMBER 20, 2008 – OCTOBER 19, 2008
In partnership with the Child HELP Foundation, the Biggs Museum is proud to host Young at Art, an exhibition featuring artwork created by children in Delaware who are supported by the Child HELP Foundation and VSA Arts of Delaware. Child HELP Foundation is a nonprofit charitable community organization created to promote extended health care, special education and social programs to enhance the quality of life, develop and fulfill the potential of children with disabilities. VSA Arts of Delaware is an organization dedicated to providing children and adults with disabilities opportunities to participate and achieve in the area of performing and visual arts.

Award Winners VII
2008-07-09 - 2008-10-26
JULY 9, 2008 – OCTOBER 26, 2008
For seven years the Biggs Museum has offered its galleries for the presentation of some of Delaware’s finest visual artists, craftspeople, writers and musicians with the Award Winners series of exhibitions. The summer celebration offers a home each year for a new group of winners of the prestigious Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Monetary prizes are awarded to Delaware artists in all media whose work demonstrates an excellence above their competitors. This time-honored exhibition is among one of the best opportunities to experience the Delaware art scene.

Award Winners VIII
2008-07-09 - 2008-10-26
JULY 9, 2008 – OCTOBER 26, 2008
This exhibition features the talent of the current Individual Artist Fellows of the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA). These artists: painters, photographers, writers, musicians and craft artisans, have the honor of winning the DDOA’s annual distinguished fellowship prizes. The fellows are chosen by a committee from hundreds of entrees. In a partnership with the DDOA, the staff of the Biggs Museum invites the Award Winners to the only group exhibition honoring their combined accomplishment. The Award Winners exhibition will feature the media of all winning artists. In conjunction with this exhibition The Biggs Museum is pleased to hold the 2008 Summer Art Series: a series of workshops led by a selection of the 2008 fellows. Please see upcoming events for information on these workshops.

Expressions of Time: Photographing a Solution
2008-04-18 - 2008-06-01
APRIL 18, 2008 – JUNE 1, 2008
This exhibition features over two-dozen works of art by nine photographers that describes their interpretations of the passage of time. The participating photographers are members of Art Lane PCG, a small group of area photographers who improve their professional skills by critiquing each other’s work. Their work displayed in this exhibition is unified by answering a single question, “How do you represent the passage of time in a photograph?” Participating Artists in Expressions of Time:

Delaware Silver
2008-03-05 - 2008-06-29
MARCH 5, 2008 – JUNE 29, 2008
FeaturingThe Col. Kenneth P. & Regina I. Brown Collectionand loan exhibitionMasters in Our Midst
March 5 – June 29, 2008
The Biggs Museum is proud to celebrate Delaware Silver featuring the permanent installation of the Col. Kenneth P. & Regina I. Brown Collection in the State’s first Delaware Silver Study Center and an exciting masterpiece exhibition, Masters in Our Midst.
The Brown Collection at the Biggs Museum represents over 50 years of collecting and includes nearly 750 pieces of silver made and retailed in the State of Delaware during the 18th and 19th centuries. Featuring silver costume objects, militaria, table wares, commemorative wares, and tea and coffee services; the Brown Collection is among the finest known for studying Delaware silversmiths. This Brown Collection is also featured in a fully illustrated catalog.
In addition, the loan exhibition, Masters in Our Midst, brings together some of the most exceptional silver by Delaware smiths from private and public collections across the country. Masters in Our Midst offers family-friendly interactive displays on important stories about Delaware Silver.
