Arts Alive in Southern Delaware

By Lynn R. Parks

February, when affairs of the heart are foremost in the minds of many, is a perfect time to indulge a love of art. Art leagues in Sussex and Kent counties offer just what Cupid ordered: an array of art shows and activities to chase away the chill of winter.

Feb. 7 through Feb. 28, the Homestead Gallery at the Rehoboth Art League will host the art league’s annual Cultural Show, which will feature folk art from the folk art museum in Dover as well as several works by local artists. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the art league will host a musical, "I Do, I Do," performed by local company SJ Productions. Performances will be Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday afternoon and evening. Tickets are available in advance as well as at the door; cost is $10 for art league members, $15 for non-members. Refreshments will be served.

The Rehoboth Art League was founded in 1938 in Henlopen Acres by Rehoboth resident Louise Chambers Corkran to "encourage interest and participation in cultural and artistic activities." Its Corkran/Tubbs gallery was built that year and has been added to since in bits and pieces. In 1978, the Homestead, constructed in 1743, was acquired by the league and transformed into additional gallery space.

A non-profit organization, the art league has 1,300 members. It sponsors exhibitions, concerts, lectures, classes and workshops and maintains five galleries of art work, including a member’s gallery. All events, including craft shows and displays in the art league’s main gallery, are non-juried.

The Corkran/Tubbs Gallery, which is being renovated, will open this spring with a children’s art show, Young at Art, in April. Its summer opening will be held the first Friday in May.

The art league sponsors several events through the summer. The Members’ Craft Exhibit, which showcases crafts created by members of the league, is held in June and the Fine Art Exhibit, featuring works of art by members, in July.

The art league is located at 12 Dodds Lane, Henlopen Acres, Rehoboth. Memberships are $30 per person, $40 per couple and $50 per family. Additional sponsorships are also available. For details, call 227-8408.

Through February, the Millsboro Art League will host a member’s exhibit in its main gallery. In its smaller gallery, the art league will have a display of the paintings by Louise Cerino and Peggy Dittmar.

Also throughout the month, Linda Hostelly will offer lessons in the Donna Dewberry one-step painting technique, used on furniture and glass. A class in painting trees and water, in oils as well as acrylics, will be held Thursday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to noon. On the first Friday of every month, the league holds a video workshop.

The Millsboro Art League was founded in 1988 and has grown from a handful of members to just fewer than 200. At its gallery at 203 Main St., the art league offers shows and exhibits as well as classes and workshops. The organization also hosts lessons for adults as well as for children.

The non-profit art league was organized to support the promotion of visual arts in Millsboro and the surrounding area. Its objective is to expand interest in, knowledge of and support of the arts as well as of cultural activities.

Members display their works in the art league gallery as well as at the Millsboro and Frankford public libraries. Regular events include an annual sculpture exhibit, usually held in July, and a children’s art exhibit in March.

Memberships are $20, $25 for a family. All events are open to the public, as are classes and workshops; any fees are higher for non-members than for members.

The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For details, call 934-6440 or visit the web site at angelfire.com/de2/millsboroartleague.

The Dover Art League21, W. Loockerman St., Dover, is sponsoring its abstract art exhibit through February. About 50 local artists, members of the art league as well as non-members, will have works of art, two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional, on display.

On Sunday, Feb. 23, the art league will sponsor a lecture and book signing. Author Lauren Rabb will have copies of her book about artist William Picknell on hand and will talk about "Walking Through Time." The lecture will start at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

Throughout the month, the art league will sponsor classes for adults and children.

The Dover Art League is in its 25^th year in downtown Dover. Membership is $30 per person, $40 for couples and $50 for families.

It is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For details, call 674-0402.

The 2003 Wilmington and Western Railroad’s Hockessin Arts Festival will be Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 22 and 23, in the Hockessin Memorial Hall, Delaware 41, Hockessin. Works by local artist Mary Foster, the festival’s artist of the year, as well as 27 other artists will be on display and for sale.

Hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon until 4 p.m. Admission is $2, free for children under 12. For details, call 998-1930 or visit the web site at www.wwrr.com