SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE

Never stop creating – it’s a message important enough to Smyrna-based fiber artist Charlese Phillips that she has it tattooed on her arm. Yet being a full-time artist would not be realistically possible for Phillips without support from her artistic community or the State of Delaware.

“Having the opportunities to share my work, putting on the show at the Biggs Museum – a great hub in the middle of the state where a lot of people can go and experience art – it was a huge boost for me,” Phillips said.

Phillips began exploring fiber work in 2020 while also working as a high school art teacher.

But after being named one of Delaware Division of the Arts’ 2023 Individual Artist Fellows, and showing her work at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover as part of the honor, she was able to expand her artistic practice to her main endeavor.

Phillips is one of the many voices of Delaware’s creative economy, which, according to the Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA), supports more than 18,550 jobs in the state and generates $3.7 billion, surpassing industries like wholesale trade and agriculture. There’s a growing trend recognizing the significant role that art providers and organizations play within an economy. This summer, the DAA will launch the Creative Economy Advancement and Tourism Expansion (CREATE) Plan.

“There are many ways that the arts benefit us as a state, whether it’s in education or health or tourism, and we saw that happen in full display during the pandemic and in recovering from the pandemic,” said Neil Kirschling, DAA executive director.

The creative economy in Delaware encompasses a diverse array of industries, including individual artists, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and various supporting sectors. By DAA definition, the sector includes those who pursue creative activities, such as the performing arts, literature, and audiovisual media, as well as associated suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

“The arts bring benefits to all sectors,” said Kate Dupont Phillips, executive director of Healthy Communities Delaware. “If we think about the arts in relationship to our communities, they can contribute to vibrancy and beautification of spaces, and fostering a sense of belonging and connection.”

Since January 2023, DAA has collaborated with the research team Sound Diplomacy and Delaware stakeholders to craft a strategy to foster growth and recovery within Delaware’s creative economy and cultural tourism sector. Surveys, focus groups and meetings across all three Delaware counties enabled the group to hear from nearly 600 individuals.

Over the next several months, the DAA will reveal the details of the CREATE Plan, with an eye on:

• Providing a reliable measure of the importance of the creative economy in Delaware;
• Introducing an online asset map with searchable index of 2,534 creative economy assets in Delaware; and
• Offering an actionable roadmap of 25 recommendations for strengthening the state’s arts and tourism sectors.

This past spring, Kirschling and Molly Giordano, Delaware Art Museum executive director, previewed the plan at Healthy Communities Delaware’s (HCD) Equity Action Summit. As noted by HCD, arts and culture are essential to health, well-being and equity, due to their ability to foster a sense of belonging and community connection.

“If you look at cities and communities that are thriving, it’s impossible to find one that is doing that without a vibrant arts and culture scene,” Giordano said. Twenty years ago, places like Nashville and Austin weren’t considered prime destinations, she added. Today, they’ve transformed into vibrant hubs.

Since joining the art museum nearly 15 years ago, Giordano said she’s observed a notable increase in community engagement with the arts, from retirees and young families alike. Cultural festivals and summertime happy hours actively bring folks together to the museum’s Wilmington campus. Programming like Healing Through the Arts, offered in partnership with small business Mariposa Arts, delivers wellness programming across the state.

While there is enthusiasm for the arts, funding has lagged behind. That’s all the more reason to consider the arts and their connection to health education, workforce development or community building, Giordano and Kirschling said.

“The business models that support the arts are largely outdated and need to be updated with equity at the center,” Kirschling added. “And we need to be going out into communities to hear from new audiences and ensure that the arts are responsive to the needs of Delaware and our constituency.”

As part of the CREATE Plan, the DAA identified opportunities to strengthen support systems for Delaware-based artists, and provide additional resources, such as training grants. Access to arts education and workforce development programs also emerged as significant concerns, emphasizing the need to increase accessibility for young people and students of all ages.

Through the launch of the CREATE Plan, fiber artist Phillips is hopeful artists and art lovers will be better connected, and experience Delaware’s artistic presence throughout the entire state – whether visiting a gallery in Rehoboth or attending Dover Art League’s WAM Cafe.

“If you want to solve a problem, try asking an artist, because we could probably think of a thousand different ways that you could probably fix it,” Phillips said.