Home » Delaware » Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, DE [Art and History Museum]

Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, DE [Art and History Museum]

It might seem that an institution like a museum is carved in stone, but since its founding in 1912, the Delaware Art Museum has actually changed a great deal. Our Centennial Timeline, installed in the Museum’s Orientation Hallway, is a look at how things were and how they have changed, both here at the Museum and in the community that we serve. To put the Museum’s historical achievements in context, the Timeline mirrors notable Museum milestones with important local and world events.

A century ago, the Museum started life with an original purchase of approximately 100 Howard Pyle paintings. That collection has grown to include 12,000 works of art by great American masters such as Winslow Homer, artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and well-known American illustrators. The Museum’s name and physical space have also changed considerably. Originally called the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, and then the Delaware Art Center, the Museum officially became the Delaware Art Museum in the early 1970s. And although we spent decades traveling around—with no permanent gallery space—the Museum now encompasses 80,000 square feet of exhibition and administrative space, four studio art classrooms, and a sprawling 9-acre sculpture park—the first of its kind in the region.

Address:

2301 Kentmere Parkway

Wilmington, Delaware 19806

P. 302.571.9590

P. 866.232.3714 (Toll free)

Website: Delaware Museum of Art

ADMISSION:

Museum admission includes entry into all galleries, including the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. There is no additional fee for any exhibitions. FREE PARKING

Rates:

Adults: $12.00

Seniors (60+): $10.00

Students (w/valid ID): $6.00

Youth (ages 7-18): $6.00

Children (6 and under): Free

Families (up to 2 adults and 4 youth): $25.00

SPECIALS AND DISCOUNTS

Museum Members: If you become a Member of the Delaware Art Museum, your admission is free every day. Learn more about becoming a Member.

Free Sundays: Admission to the Museum is free to all visitors on Sundays. The admission fee is waived thanks to generous support from Jessie Ball duPont Fund.

MUSEUM HOURS:

Wednesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sunday: Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Monday – Tuesday: Closed

Holidays: The Delaware Art Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day


		Kalmar Nyckel The present day Kalmar Nyckel serves as Delaware’s seagoing goodwill ambassador. She was built by a group of committed citizens to be a continuing witness to the courage and spirit of those individuals who undertook the mid-winter North Atlantic crossing in 1637-1638.
		The Delaware Art Museum A century ago, the Museum started life with an original purchase of approximately 100 Howard Pyle paintings. That collection has grown to include 12,000 works of art by great American masters
		Winterthur Museum Founded by Henry Francis du Pont, Winterthur (pronounced “winter-tour”) is the premier museum of American decorative arts, reflecting both early America and the du Pont family’s life here. We offer programs for Schools for School Field Trips, Family programs as well offer College Student programs. Its 60-acre naturalistic garden is among the country’s best, and its research library serves scholars from around the world. We invite you to visit and explore this place of beauty, history, and learning.
		Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is to celebrate the history, preserve the legacy, and honor the heroes of sports within Delaware and those who have brought recognition to Delaware by their accomplishments elsewhere. The membership strives to educate young and old about athletics, sportsmanship, and work ethic while providing inspiration to maintain active and healthy lifestyles through sports. We encourage School groups to join us on their next School Field Trips in Delaware.

Teacher Programs and Workshops

TEACHER WORKSHOPS

Teacher workshops are held to familiarize educators with the Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. Credit hours are available for these curriculum enriching programs. To participate in a teacher workshop (Delaware teachers), you must register in advance by contacting the Delaware Teacher Center at 302.736.6723 or 800.282.8770. For teachers outside Delaware, contact the Education Department at 302.351.8509 or cwaring@delart.org.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Delaware Art Museum Education staff offer professional development opportunities for school districts, parent-teacher organizations, or any group interested in learning more about the Museum’s collections and programming. Contact Courtney Waring, Director of Education, at 302.351.8509 or cwaring@delart.org for more information.

ART EXCURSIONS

The Delaware Art Museum’s popular outreach program, Art Excursions, engages youth throughout the region with the Museum. Art Excursions are held at local libraries, Head Start centers, and public, private, and charter schools. For students in pre-K through Grade 5, we seek to introduce each class to the museum world as well as to the Delaware Art Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. Presentations engage youth in interactive exercises that help them experience art in a personal way, encouraging exploration, discovery and multiple ways of identifying with a work of art.

For more information about program themes or scheduling an outreach visit, please send an e-mail to outreach@delart.org. Register online.

PROGRAM THEMES

Meet the Museum! Discover the role an art museum plays in the community and the importance of artists who document the human experience. Students will review the many responsibilities of Museum staff, learn different museum and art terms, and discuss the importance of museum manners. This program is a great pre-visit activity for a class planning a field trip to the Delaware Art Museum.

The Artist’s Language Artists use line, color, texture, and shape to create their works. This program will discuss these basic elements of design and how they work together as a visual language. Students will learn how artists use color to convey mood and will be able to differentiate between organic and geometric shapes.

Glory of Stories (for pre-K – Grade 2) This fun and interactive program invites students to listen to a story, discuss two or three works of art, and complete a simple art project. Books include My Many Colored Days (Dr. Seuss), Chameleon’s Colors (Chisato Tashiro), A Piece of Chalk (Jennifer A. Ericsson), The Big Orange Splot (D. Manus Pinkwater), Roger the Jolly Pirate (Brett Helquist), and Mouse Paint (Ellen Stoll Walsh).

Face to Face What can you learn from a portrait? A portrait can tell us a great deal about the life and times of the subject. This program informs students on the genre of portraiture, discussing various uses of a portrait and how the artist presents the subject using surroundings, clothing, facial expressions, and gesture.

Painting with Words Language Arts and Visual Arts come together in this fun program! Using art as a springboard, students build their vocabularies and stretch their imaginations by creating poems or stories. The class will also be introduced to the Museum’s interactive website, The Art of Storytelling: http://www.artofstorytelling.org .

* Each program is approximately 60 minutes in length and includes an art or writing activity. The content (both artwork and information) of each program offering will be adjusted according to the age & learning level of the audience. Each program will use technology. Museum staff will bring a digital projector and laptop to the classroom. School/Organization must be able to provide a screen and extension cord.

PRICING

One Time Visit: Beyond 50 Miles of the Museum $120.00 Per Presentation

Multiple Presentations: Within 50 Miles of the Museum $80.00 for the 1st Presentation $40.00 each for subsequent presentations

Multiple Presentations: Beyond 50 miles of the Museum $120.00 for the 1st Presentation $40.00 each for subsequent presentations

Download .pdf version here or send an e-mail to outreach@delart.org. If you would like to schedule an outreach presentation, click here.*For groups that would like to schedule multiple presentations on one day, there is a 50% discount for each subsequent presentation.

School Groups PreK to 12

SCHOOL GROUP VISITS

Guided tours of the Museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions are available for School Groups. These tours are led by trained Docents and are available Tuesday, between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Wednesday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Due to the high demand for guided tours, it is suggested that reservations be made at least four weeks in advance. Minimum 10 students required for guided tours.

Click here to download a PDF of the School & Teacher Programs for 2011-2012

Theme Tours of the Permanent Collection

Founded in 1912, the Delaware Art Museum holds a world-renowned collection that focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th century to the present as well as the British Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century.

Guided tours of the Museum’s permanent collection are divided into themes for distinct educational levels. Teachers determine which theme to pursue, and if they wish, they can customize the tour to their specifications (e.g., the works, artists, or styles of art to be presented). Tours last 60–90 minutes, depending on grade level and the needs of the group. School Theme Tours meet Delaware Department of Education Curriculum Standards in a variety of subjects, including Visual Arts, English Language Arts, and Social Studies.

THE RED APPLE FUND

Schools from any state may apply for a School Tour Grant through the Delaware Art Museum’s Red Apple Fund. These grants help subsidize the cost of a School Tour. If interested, please submit a Red Apple Fund Application form

Programs by Grade Level

PRE-K AND K

Glory of Stories Glory of Stories introduces children to the Museum through storytelling and hands-on art projects. Following a story reading, Museum guides lead students to select works of art in the collection. Following a tour, children create their own work of art in the Bank of America Studio Wing. Limited to 25 students. Glory of Stories is also offered for large groups.

Glory of Stories for Groups This tour option is offered throughout the week and is by reservation only. Limited to 25 students. $5.00

Building on the success of the Delaware Art Museum’s popular Glory of Stories program, a group version has been designed especially for children in daycare and preschool. Glory of Stories for Groups introduces children ages 3-6 to the Museum through storytelling and hands-on art projects. Following a story reading, Museum guides will lead the group to select works of art in the collection. The next stop is the Education Wing studios, where the children will create their own works of art. The program ends in Kids’ Corner, an interactive learning environment.

GRADES K-2

Meet the Museum This tour is designed to introduce children to the collections of the Delaware Art Museum. Stories, gallery games, and other learning aids are utilized to help young visitors better understand art and art museums.

The Artist’s Language Learn how the basic elements of design (line, color, shape, and texture) work together as a visual language.

NEW! Community and Creativity Visually connect students to a variety of communities through art. This tour is designed to help children identify what characteristics make up communities by looking at different types of places and people that are depicted in art.

GRADES 3–6

Face to Face What can you learn from a portrait? A portrait can tell us a great deal about the life and times of the subject. This tour guides students through the genre of portraiture, discussing various uses of a portrait and how the artist presents the subject using surroundings, clothing, facial expressions, and gesture.

Learning to Look How can we learn to see more when we look at art? Students explore the Museum’s collections through activities and discussions focused on looking at, thinking about, and responding to works of art.

Painting with Words In this lesson students build their vocabularies and stretch their imaginations while responding in writing to works of art. Students will enhance their knowledge of literature and hone their own language and writing skills with the creation of poems and stories in the galleries. Ideal for language arts students.

Delaware’s Artistic Heritage The Brandywine Valley has a rich artistic legacy. This tour focuses on artists from the Brandywine area, including Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, and Frank Schoonover. Viewing images that present universal themes and historical events, students will create their own stories in addition to deciphering those of Howard Pyle and his students.

GRADES 7–12

Highlights of the Permanent Collections Students will enjoy discussing key works of art highlighting the Delaware Art Museum’s permanent collection.

The History of American Art Explore the extraordinary variety and richness of the histories and cultures that make up our country’s past and present. The nation’s diversity is revealed through discussion of works of art, their themes and styles, and the cultural values they represent. Contemporary Art and Sculpture Students will explore the many diverse art movements and mediums of the twentieth century. Victorian Life and the Pre-RaphaelitesWho were the Pre-Raphaelites? In 1848, seven young men formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, inspired by the art of medieval times, nature, and a broad range of literary sources. In this tour, students will learn about various Pre-Raphaelite artists, their inspirations, and how their art reflected concern over social problems caused by the Industrial Revolution.

SPECIAL TOURS

Nature in Art Tours Throughout history artists have been inspired by the natural world around them, and today, contemporary artists continue to reference nature through their materials and content. The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DCCA) and Delaware Art Museum are excited to offer Nature in Art tours during the 2011-2012 school year. Tours begin at the Delaware Art Museum where students will view works of art in the Museum’s permanent collection inspired by nature. At the DCCA, students will continue to focus on contemporary artists who incorporate natural themes in their work.

The Art and Legacy of Howard Pyle Visit both the Delaware Art Museum and the Brandywine River Museum and discover how renowned illustrator Howard Pyle affected the development of American illustration and why his teaching methods influenced many well known artists, including N. C. Wyeth. The Brandywine River Museum’s two exhibitions, Honoring Howard Pyle: Major Works from the Collections andInspiring Minds: Howard Pyle as Teacher, are on view from September 17 – November 17, 2011. The Delaware Art Museum’s exhibition, Howard Pyle: American Master Rediscovered, is on view from November 12, 2011 – March 4, 2012.

TOURS OF TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS

Traveling exhibitions visit the Museum for a limited time period throughout the year. For a list of upcoming temporary exhibitions, click here.

ART ACTIVITIES

Following your tour, students can create an art project in the Museum’s studio wing. Additional cost: $1 per student. Offering is based on size of group and requested date. Art activities are only available for grades K–6. Minimum 10 students and maximum of 50 students required for art activities.