Arts Advocacy 101 Training

The Delaware Arts Alliance invited Delaware Department of Education’s Teacher Leader Network, representing arts educators from 20+ school districts, and other advocates for the arts to receive training on topics such as: 

1. What is advocacy? 
2. What is the legislative process in Delaware? 
3. How to best message your cases for the arts? 
4. Resources for connecting with legislators and navigating a successful meeting. 

Arts & Culture Caucus 

During the Arts & Culture Caucus, co-chaired by Sen. Tizzy Lockman (D) and Rep. Bryan Shupe (R): 

• SCR109 Report Overview: Dr. Lauren Conrad, Education Associate, Visual & Performing Arts with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) presented an overview of the Senate Concurrent Resolution 109 Report, with findings and recommendations for Delaware Pathways to better support careers in the creative economy. Special thank you to Secretary of Education Cindy Marten for joining us! As well as other members of the SCR109 workgroup who helped present and answer questions: 

• • Jon Wickert, Director, Career and Technical Education (DDOE),  
  • Gina Aurora, Deputy Director, Division of Employment and Training (Delaware Department of Labor) 
  • Jessica Ball, Director, Division of the Arts 
  • View a copy of the presentation slides here.  

 

• Panel: “Career Pathways in the Creative Economy”: After Dr. Conrad’s presentation, a panel of students, educators, and creative professionals were invited to share their personal experiences to these findings, including opportunities to strengthen connections between arts education and creative career pathways. Panelists included: 
  • Sadie Andros, Cape Henlopen High School, Theatre Educator  
  • Noah Lewis, Cape Henlopen High School, Student  
  • Todd Weller, Lake Forest North Elementary School, Visual Arts Educator and Parent  
  • Dr. Carlton Cannon Jr., Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Lead Arts Educator   
  • Tracy Friswell-Jacobs, MOT Charter School, Theatre Educator; Delaware Arts Conservatory, Owner, Artistic Director, and Dance Faculty; Parent  
  • Brittney Stanton, Elevate Vocal Arts, Education and Outreach Director  
  • Brian Market, Light Action Productions, COO and the Pine Box Studios, General Manager 

 

Additionally, legislators in attendance discussed legislation, including SCR109, SB260, and SS1 for SB181.  

• Rep. Mara Gorman, lead House sponsor of SB260: “Certificate of Arts Excellence” to recognize high school students who have demonstrated sustained engagement and achievements in the arts, attended the caucus to speak on behalf of this bill. 

• Sen. Ray Seigfried shared information on Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 181 (SS1 for SB181), which would codify consumer protections against third party ticket fraud. Read DAA’s blog, Delaware Ticketing Legislation, to learn more about this bill and its impact on Delaware.  

• Sen. Eric Buckson was thanked by the Caucus chairs and attendees for his leadership on the Joint Finance Committee championing state arts funding in last year’s budget. 

 

Read comments provided by legislators and panelists in the drop down below.

Watch a recording of the caucus on DAA’s YouTube channel.

 

The next Arts & Culture Caucus will take place May 14th from 11:30AM-12:30PM in the Senate Hearing Room. RSVP at https://bit.ly/ACC26rsvp   

Secretary of Education Cindy Marten

“We’ve been talking about the Delaware Department of Education Strategic Plan, and Building Block #3 [Great Teaching & Learning] is where arts education lives. This is about a well-rounded education. We achieve the results and the outcomes that students of Delaware deserve when we have the support necessary in arts education, and I have a deep passion for it. Thank you for your work here…” 

“Every penny invested results in outcomes for kids and outcomes don’t happen when all students don’t have the opportunities that they need to succeed.” 

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Representative Mara Gorman

“What SB260 does is encourage students who are already interested in taking arts classes to view it as not perhaps a waste of their time or be told by anyone that they’re not being recognized for the importance of the work that they want to be doing. They’ll get a distinction that complements their diploma and I’m just really excited that  we’re going to offer this kind of recognition…  

“It just elevates; it’s one more step in Delaware toward elevating the arts and showing that it’s a serious part of our communal life…

“There are local education agencies (LEAs) in Delaware that are already providing work-based learning continuum opportunities to students within those non-career and technical education creative pathways, and we are working to continue to support students to have greater access to those opportunities.” 

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Sadie Andros, Cape Henlopen High School, Theatre Educator  

“Recently at Cape Henlopen, we had Adam Welcome come and speak to our entire district and he put up a list of the five career skills that a student needs to be successful. Every single one of those is happening in arts education — from collaboration to critical thinking. I think it is so important and whether you pursue arts as a career or not, I think you’ll really carry those skills with you everywhere for the rest of your life.”

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Noah Lewis, Cape Henlopen High School, Student  

“I’m really glad this what Senate Concurrent Resolution 109 is pushing for because I know students below me and much better than me would love to participate in additional work-based learning opportunities such as music internships. I would love for there to be more official apprenticeships in the arts.”

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Todd Weller, Lake Forest North Elementary School, Visual Arts Educator and Parent  

“My students recently learned about the Oregon Trail and about how it was a vast untapped wild frontier and it was the trailblazers– the people who gave a path for others to follow — that helped thousands, millions, of people to reach their destiny, reach their goals, and find their place. They pushed this country forward by following those pathways. And that’s what we’re trying to establish here is what pathway for creatives. We need a true collective partnership if we’re going to support schools and students across the state to work with and learn from local artists.” 

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Dr. Carlton Cannon Jr., Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Lead Arts Educator

“We have many of our arts students that have graduated and gone on to do work and actually work in the field. So, they do exist and they are successful. We actually have some that come back to teach at Cab Calloway…

We have much more to do, but we are thankful for the work so far. We’re appreciative of that and I’m looking forward to seeing how the certificate of excellence for the high school students works out. It sounds great.”

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Tracy Friswell-Jacobs, MOT Charter School, Theatre Educator; Delaware Arts Conservatory, Owner, Artistic Director, and Dance Faculty; Parent  

“As a teacher, it’s imperative that we support and provide success by providing access to funds for the arts as career pathways… 

“We were told that we could try to build a local pathway at my school. But to do so, you have to align the standards of what we teach in theater and music to existing pathways. My standards do not align with engineering. My standards don’t really align with most of what is available to us to align them to. We need to come up with another avenue to find that pathway of acceptance in the arts…

“I’ve known a number of students now in films, television (Netflix series that you probably watched when you were binging something at home), as singers fronting internationally known bands, photographers that are in demand both in our state and beyond, and visual artists that work hand in hand with multimedia multi-million dollar companies in marketing and advertising. They are career ready when they are leaving our programs. A lot of them are not going on to further training because they are getting jobs coming out of our high school programs or if they are pursuing it as a degree, they’re getting into some of the most prestigious universities and programs available in their field. We’re doing the work. We want to continue to provide that and make it even better. 

“Thank you for what you’re doing now and let’s get there.” 

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Brittney Stanton, Elevate Vocal Arts, Education and Outreach Director  

“The thing that I appreciate the most about it is it really lays out plain and simple what needs to be done. The problem that I see is not actually tied to funding, but rather bringing all those key stakeholders together in such a way that we can be on the same plane – That we can walk through the door together in this work and agree on what needs to be done. In some of those cases, it might mean making concessions on what standards might look like or who gets money— Being creative thinkers and strategic problem solvers to make it happen.”  

In reference to SCR109: “I see most from this report an opportunity to bring the problem of systems to a place where we can close gaps. But it really relies on everybody that is a key stakeholder being creative in how we approach this and breaking out of the box of what have we defined this to be in the past and creating a new definition moving forward.” 

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Brian Market, Light Action Productions, COO and the Pine Box Studios, General Manager 

“We don’t have a tax credit on the books. The feedback that I get from the folks that do work in this industry is that that work will not come to Delaware until they get a tax credit because they have other states like Georgia that are very tax advantageous to do their film work in. Creatives take that work to where they’re getting their money back, but if we did have tax credit legislation, they would get money back in their pocket and it would make sense for them to film in a location like ours. Once they do that, they realize it’s so much cheaper here in Delaware, there’s great talent here, and then that creates work within the state, that gives jobs to all these artists, whether they’re photographers, cinematographers, directors...” 

“I think that’s a really important step of getting pathways for folks that are coming up in the arts and in high school so that there’s revenue in this state: ‘I can keep my job at home. I don’t have to move to California or New York where this work is. I can stay right in the state of Delaware. I can create and I can bring money back to Delaware and employ other people.’ That’s what we’re looking to do here.”  

Artwork Showcase 

After the Arts & Culture Caucus, advocates moved through Legislative Hall to take individual meetings with their legislators. Meaningful discussion also took place with government leaders around the Arts Showcase – a display of student artwork from local schools and a collaborative collective art project making custom cherry blossoms, led by Jennifer Boland and Anna Ramon, arts teachers at Campus Community Charter School, and their students.  

Artwork was also featured from Claymont Elementary’s Natalie Noble’s arts class, with additional artwork visible in Legislative Hall from arts educator, Jennifer Gunther’s program, “Art Works for All.” 

Individual Legislator Meetings

Advocates, including local arts students, took meetings with legislators to discuss the importance of the arts in their lives and communities. A “Leave Behind” for Legislators was distributed during these meetings, offering 5 ways legislators can support the arts & arts education. 

Have you taken a meeting, phone call, or otherwise discussed with your legislators the importance of the arts? Log Your Interaction with DAA’s Tracker to help us know how this meeting went, what you may have learned, and keep track of the General Assembly’s connections to the arts.  

This feature is available year-round, including March for the Arts and all other meetings with legislators.  

“March for the Arts” Parade

Next, Dover High School’s Rolling Thunder Drumline under the direction of educator Chalay Horne, led a “March for the Arts” around Legislative Hall, helping to make noise and call attention to the value of the arts in Delaware. 

We were fortunate to be joined by Governor Matt Meyer, who, in speaking to the drumline, shared: 

“Arts education adds so much to the fabric of our state. These kids, who knows what they will become. The lessons they learn are so valuable and we just got to make sure that we continue to make the important investments in this building [Legislative Hall] so that kids like this can continue having opportunities.” 

Watch snippets of their performance from the Biggs Museum of American Art.  

Additional videos are coming soon! 

National Anthem Performance

After the parade, Dover High School’s Select Ensemble, under the direction of educator Brad Whitenight, performed the National Anthem on the Chamber steps of Legislative Hall. Their voices filled the halls and helped remind everyone of the talent and joy that arts education helps foster in Delaware’s students. 

2026 Poetry Out Loud Winner, Natalia Gatti

We were honored to have Natalia Gatti, 2026 Poetry Out Loud Winner and 10th grade student from Sussex Academy in Georgetown perform on the Senate and the House Floor to share her talents with legislators. 

While on the floor, Natalia Gatti recited “Militants to Certain Other Women” by Katharine Rolston Fisher. She will go on to represent Delaware at the National Finals in Washington, D.C. from April 27-29, where she will compete against other state champions across the country for $50,000 in scholarships.  

Read more about the 2026 Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest from the Delaware Division of the Arts. 

Senate Concurrent Resolution 152: Unanimously Passed! 

At the end of the day, arts advocates filled the galleries of the House and Senate to witness voting on SCR152, Designating the Month of March 2026 as “March for the Arts” in the State of Delaware, by lead co-sponsors, Sen. Lockman, Sen. Buckson, Rep. Gorman, and Rep. Shupe.  

Passage of this Resolution, reflecting the will and intent of the entire legislature, happened unanimously in both the House and the Senate. The following legislators co-sponsored the bill, including all 21 senators: Sen. Brown, Sen. Cruce, Sen. Hansen, Sen. Hocker, Sen. Hoffner, Sen. Huxtable, Sen. Lawson, Sen. Mantzavinos, Sen. Paradee, Sen. Pettyjohn, Sen. Pinkney, Sen. Poore, Sen. Richardson, Sen. Seigfried, Sen. Sokola, Sen. Sturgeon, Sen. Townsend, Sen. Walsh, Sen. Wilson, Rep. Berry, Rep. Carson, Rep. Grifith, Rep. Osienski, and Rep. Yearick. 

Senate Bill 260: “Delaware Certificate of Arts Excellence” — Unanimously co-sponsored and passed in the Senate! 

In addition to SCR152, the Senate also voted on SB260, directing the Delaware Department of Education to establish the Delaware Certificate of Arts Excellence to recognize high school students who demonstrate sustained engagement and achievement in the arts. The bill was introduced by Sen. Dan Cruce and co-sponsored by Rep. Mara Gorman. During the Senate Hearing, every legislator co-sponsored the bill before voting unanimously to pass it. 

The bill will now move to the House for consideration and, if passed, will be considered by the Governor to sign into law. Thank you, Rep. Heffernan, Rep. K. Johnson, Rep. Morrison, Rep. Osienski, Rep. Ross-Levin, and Rep. Kamela Smith for co-sponsoring the bill. DAA will continue working with Delaware’s House of Representatives to support the passage of this legislation. Follow along with DAA’s Bill Tracker for updates to arts policy in Delaware. 

To conclude the day, the Biggs Museum of American Art hosted us to debrief, share reflections, and celebrate the success of the day while surrounded by artwork.  

The Biggs Museum’s current exhibitions include: 

• The Art of Elizabeth Catlett: From the Collection of Samella Lewis 
• The Joy of Pastel: Maryland Pastel Society Signature Exhibition 
• Reflections: 25 Objects for 250 Years of Delaware History 
• Adopt An Artwork: Student Exhibition 
• Art Works for All 

Advocates, educators, and students shared their unique views and looked ahead to future policy efforts and ways we can continue advancing the arts and arts education in Delaware together.