Delaware Division of the Arts Announces New Appointments to the Delaware State Arts Council

Six-photo collage of professional and artistic headshots arranged in two rows. The portraits feature five women and one man in a mix of color and black-and-white images, including formal headshots and more casual portraits, representing a diverse group of individuals.

New members join the state’s citizen advisory council advancing arts policy, public stewardship, and statewide creative opportunity

STATEWIDE, Del. (August 31, 2026) – The Delaware Division of the Arts today announced the appointment of six new members to the Delaware State Arts Council (DSAC), the 16-member citizen advisory council that provides guidance on arts policy and public investment in Delaware’s arts and culture sector.

The Delaware State Arts Council serves as the advisory body to the Delaware Division of the Arts. The Council provides guidance to the Division Director on matters of arts policy and considers matters referred by state leadership. DSAC members also serve as ambassadors for the arts – promoting participation in and appreciation of the arts throughout Delaware.

Newly appointed members include:

Itzel Aguilar (Georgetown) – Itzel Aguilar is a first-generation Chicana (Mexican-American) interdisciplinary artist, muralist, and arts advocate from Sussex County, Delaware. Her work explores identity, ancestry, cultural memory, migration, belonging, and healing, drawing from her mestiza and Indigenous heritage and lived experiences. Working across painting, illustration, textiles, natural fibers, clay, pigments, and found objects, Aguilar selects materials for their ability to hold memory through texture, color, and story. She graduated from the Delaware College of Art and Design with a degree in Fine Art and is pursuing her undergraduate in Chicano/a Studies at the University of New Mexico. She recently completed an internship with Mural Arts Philadelphia and is now working as a project-based Artist Assistant. This allows her to strengthen her practice in community-engaged public art and collaborative mural-making.
Esther Hofknecht, MSM-HCA, LEND (Dover) – Esther Hofknecht, MSM, LEND is a Delaware visual and mixed-media artist, writer, storyteller, and trauma-informed teaching artist whose creative practice centers on connection, self-expression, and community. Her multidisciplinary work encompasses visual art, writing, storytelling, and film, often exploring the intersections of creativity and lived experience. Esther is also a dedicated advocate and educator in the areas of mental health, neurodivergence, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence, bringing these perspectives to her artistic and community work. She is passionate about arts accessibility, amplifying diverse voices, and using creativity to foster dialogue, understanding, healing, and connection.
Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald (Wilmington) – Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald joined the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in July 2022 as its Director of Marketing & Events. Previously, she owned arts publicity company, Arts in Media, a promotional partner for artists, musicians, and small- to mid-sized arts organizations from 2004 to 2022. Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Michelle graduated in 1992 from Penn State with a degree in Communications. She has been a contributing writer for Out & About Magazine since 2013, and she created and still manages the Delaware Arts Info blog. She has served on committees including the INWilmington Campaign, Christina Cultural Arts Center’s Christi Awards, the Fringe Wilmington Festival, and AIDS Delaware’s Red Ribbon Runway. Michelle lives in the City of Wilmington with her husband, Scott, and their “supermutt,” Eli. In her spare time, she enjoys reading (actual books), painting, and cooking.
Reggie Lynch (Wilmington) – Reggie Lynch was born and raised in the arts community in Delaware and has dedicated her career to ensuring the arts are accessible to everyone. Although her career in museums has taken her to New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Ohio, she is thrilled to be back in her hometown to rejoin the arts community through her role at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Joining the Delaware State Arts Council has an added layer of meaning for her, as her mother, Nancy Bartoshesky Lynch, was deeply involved with the Council. Reggie lives in Wilmington with her husband and daughter.
Nataki Oliver (Wilmington) – Nataki Oliver is the owner of The Sold Firm Art Gallery and has championed emerging and established artists throughout the tri-state area since 2017. A Fashion Institute of Technology graduate with studies in art history, design, and marketing, Oliver founded her Wilmington, Delaware gallery in 2018 to address gaps in the city’s visual arts community. She has curated exhibitions and art spaces for Bank of America, Delaware State University, Winterthur, The Delaware Contemporary, HBCU Week, and the Philadelphia 76ers. A passionate advocate for visual artists and youth, Oliver created a successful paid to learn, 12-week arts program for Delaware teens empowering young creatives for the past five years while strengthening Delaware’s arts ecosystem.
Dr. Malcolm Richardson (Wilmington) – Dr. Malcolm S. Richardson is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, scholar, and arts advocate whose work is rooted in a passion for educational and artistic development. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, he has dedicated his career to cultivating artists, educators, programs, and communities through meaningful and equitable access to the arts. A former lecturer at Delaware State University in the Philosophical Foundations of Education, Richardson currently serves as an Instructional Coach with Jounce Partners in collaboration with the Wilmington Learning Collaborative and as Voice Faculty with Elevate Vocal Arts, while maintaining an active career as a professional countertenor. He holds a Doctor of Music Education from Liberty University, where his research explored sustainable partnerships between schools and community-based music organizations throughout Delaware. Through this council, Richardson remains committed to strengthening the ecosystems that allow artists, educators, and communities to learn, create, and thrive in harmony.

Council members are appointed by the Governor to renewable three-year terms, with terms staggered to support continuity in leadership and governance.

“State arts council members are essential partners in how the Division serves Delawareans,” said Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “They bring lived experience, professional expertise, and local insight that strengthen public stewardship – helping ensure our investments are thoughtful, equitable, and responsive to communities across the state. Their guidance shapes real opportunity for artists and arts organizations, and it helps expand access to the arts for residents in every county.”

Mack Wathen, Chair of the Delaware State Arts Council, added: “State Arts Council members translate the value of the arts into action. They elevate community voices, help set priorities, and support decision-making that sustains Delaware’s cultural vibrancy. Their service has a practical impact – stronger arts organizations, more engaged communities, enhanced creative learning and engagement, and a healthier statewide ecosystem where the arts can thrive.”

Interested in serving? Delawareans interested in being considered for future DSAC appointments may apply through the Governor’s Boards and Commissions process and indicate Delaware State Arts Council as their board of interest. Information is available through the State of Delaware’s boards and commissions portal: https://governor.delaware.gov/boards-and-commissions/.

About the Delaware Division of the Arts

The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications, 302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

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