Creative District Wilmington Selects Artists for First Phase of 7th Street Arts Bridge

Creative District Wilmington is pleased to announce the artists selected for the first phase of public art projects for the 7th Street Arts Bridge (7SAB), a transformative and unifying project in an area in need of renewal that will connect artists, entrepreneurs and residents to downtown Wilmington.

The goal of 7SAB is to transform this strategic corridor by creating structural, visual, event-driven and spiritual connections between people and places. The artists selected are Andre Reyneard Hinton, New Wilmington Art Association's Jen Hintz, Jessica Taylor and Anne Yoncha, Smashed Label's Crae and Corei Washington, and Terrance Vann.

Creative District Wilmington solicited responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the phase-one projects that will be located on 7th Street from Shipley to Madison in Wilmington. Specific criteria for each location was provided in accordance with property owners' wishes as well as the Creative District's goals. The opportunities outlined were for large-scale permanent works, small temporary art interventions, and low- to high-tech installations and collaborations. Some projects reflect the artist working with a singular vision and some were selected for their ability to engage the community in full collaboration with the artist.

"We are very excited to start the first phase of the 7th Street Arts Bridge with such a diverse and exceptionally talented group of artists," said Laura Semmelroth, Creative District Wilmington's Strategist and Program Director. "This project will not only beautify the neighborhoods but also instill a sense of pride, provide employment for artists in their own field, combat vacancy and blight, and engage people in the beautification of their own communities."

About the 7th Street Arts Bridge Artists:

Andre Reyneard Hinton-A visual artist, Andre Reyneard Hinton began illustrating comic book characters early on; this grew into a passion for art and art history. Hinton is also a self-taught airbrush artist and created his own business, Ablaze Customz, which provides custom-made hand-painted garments. That interest led him to attend the Philadelphia Arts Institute to study fashion design. Hinton was also a part of the extremely successful Wilmington Trap Stars exhibition, a major community arts collaboration between the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, University of Delaware's Department of Black American Studies, Christina Cultural Arts Center, The Creative Vision Factory and Barry's Events. This arts-for-social-justice exhibition featured more than 100 artworks that creatively examined structural inequality and its correlation to physical violence in Wilmington.

New Wilmington Art Association (NWAA)-Jen Hintz, Jessica Taylor and Anne Yoncha-officers of NWAA-will be the artists participating in the 7SAB project. Founded in 2008, the NWAA enables artists to work, develop and think through creative interventions staged in vacant properties throughout the City of Wilmington. The organization was formed on the principles of aggressively working to support the creative interests, endeavors, careers and lifestyles of all artists, as well as directly foster the development of a more diverse cultural landscape in Wilmington.

Smashed Label-Brothers Corei and Crae Washington founded Smashed Label in 2011. Using graphic design, painting, murals and screen-printing in various projects and collaborations, their work promotes individuality, questioning stereotypes and smashing social labels. Smashed Label has exhibited and participated in Wilmington Fringe Festival, Wilmington Trap Stars: A Street Art Exhibition at the DCCA and Wilmington Jazz Fest, as well as several exhibitions organized by Atypical Society. Smashed Label's work can be seen in multiple locations throughout Wilmington including Theatre N, Harvest Christian Academy and the 600 block of North Union Street, a mural project organized by the community group West Side Grows Together and University of Delaware students

Terrance Vann-Terrance Vann is a fine artist and illustrator based in Wilmington, Delaware. Terrance studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and at the Art Institute in Philadelphia where he developed as a designer and graphic artist, in addition to being a painter and illustrator. Vann paints and illustrates in vividly colorful portraits inspired by life experiences, friends, family, love and observations of Wilmington life.

About Creative District Wilmington:

Wilmington's Creative District is a part of a national wave of creative placemaking initiatives that seek to transform urban areas. This community revitalization project encompasses the area bounded by Fourth, Ninth, Market and Washington Streets and is generously supported by Bank of America, Delaware Department of State, Delaware Division of the Arts, Delaware State Housing Authority, Delmarva Power, JPMorgan Chase, Longwood Foundation, TD Bank Foundation, United Way of Delaware and WSFS Bank.

The Veteran's Freedom Mural is generously supported by Connections Community Support Programs, Inc., Delaware Division of the Arts, Interfaith Community Housing of Delaware, Wilmington Renaissance Corporation and WSFS Bank. The Creative District is focused on creative production and consumption, a place where creative entrepreneurs-artists, musicians, designers, tech innovators, makers and manufacturers-and neighborhood residents thrive and where locally designed goods and original works are made and consumed. This revitalization will engage the community-current and future residents, as well as civic and business leaders-in a wide range of initiatives and programs that include: affordable housing, greening and streetscape projects, real estate development, programming and community engagement activities, public art and public performance projects, and centers for creative entrepreneurship. CreativeDistrictWilm.com

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!