By Craig Horleman

DOVER — A mainstay of the city’s art scene is roaring back to life, capped by its first major exhibit since reopening over two years ago.

The Dover Art League, at 21 W. Loockerman St., unveiled “SIX” on July 17. It’s housed in the revamped Holden Gallery upstairs, and an opening reception for the collaborative show was Saturday.

The display brings together six Delaware artists to showcase their unique styles. An Artist Opportunity Grant helped fund Michael Fleishman’s vision for it.

“I always saw the show as an intimate, small gathering of artists. Originally it was just the two Mikes. (I actually went to college with Mr. McSorley; 50 years later we end up in Milford!),” wrote Mr. Fleishman in his artist’s statement.

“And then, I couldn’t help myself, there simply were other folks I wanted to keep company with.”

Along with Michael McSorley and Mr. Fleishman, the exhibit contains works by Rosemary Connelly, Aaron Hoffer, Gervasio Ruiz Jr. and Pat Fecko.

“When it grew to six, I made myself stop. I purposefully brought together six handpicked artists who I feel create with the same mindset — not the same style; everybody is wonderfully different,” wrote Mr. Fleishman, who himself specializes in “upcycled art” or using discarded objects to create offbeat artifacts.

Gallery manager Chelsea Memmolo is thrilled that he picked the Dover Art League to host the exhibition.

“He approached us a few months ago and said he was writing a grant for the (Delaware Division of the Arts) to have a show and asked if he could do it here. He’s been a member here and has art in the member gallery,” she said.

“It lined up perfectly to be our first show in the Holden Gallery since we’ve been back. He said, ‘I’m going to turn it into a group show,’ and got some other people to join.”

She added that it’s a great time to do so. After falling into decline and closing its doors for several years, the Dover Art League reemerged in summer 2021 with some fundraisers.

In February 2022, the site hired Ms. Memmolo to run the facility. Since then, she has reenergized it by attracting a member base of around 150, leading to more art on the walls.

A milestone has been the reopening of the Holden Gallery. Back on Aug. 12, 2008, the second-floor spot was dedicated to Leipsic’s Wayne and Betsy Holden to recognize their donation of more than $45,000 to the art league, used to pay off its mortgage.

When the DAL opened once again, Ms. Memmolo knew repairs would have to be made to the gallery to use it as a display space.

“We did not want to open it for exhibits until everyone could get up the stairs. Unfortunately, a grant for an elevator costs a lot. So, the temporary solution was getting a chairlift in the front stairwell, and the HVAC up there had been broken since we came back in, as well. So, that needed to be fixed,” she said.

“So, we got a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts for the chairlift, and then, we got a grant from the Red Wagon (Foundation) that fixed the HVAC.”

As a reintroduction, “SIX” will run until Sept. 17, with other exhibits to come, including one by Delaware State University professor Josh Nobling.

Other endeavors have been its monthly WAM Café, featuring a writer, an artist and a musician, plus coffeehouses with various musicians once a month, presented by the Delaware Friends of Folk.

“We definitely consider music an art. We’ve had a series of artistic fusion events this year, as well as bringing all of the different types of art together. It’s also nice to partner with another nonprofit,” Ms. Memmolo said.

The Dover Art League has also linked with Kent County Parks and Recreation to include classes and summer camps in the county’s mailed catalog, giving the entity increased attention.

The camps for children and teens are wrapping up this week and have been a big success, Ms. Memmolo said.

“They’re all project-based art camps. They do so many different things, different mediums, 3-D painting, drawing. They go to the Biggs (Museum of American Art) for a tour,” she said.

“Every camp, some of them go over to The Green, and they sketch outside. It just depends on the weather for the camp. We’ve had different teachers for each camp, and they do slightly different things every time.”

She said the programs can serve many purposes.

“We have some kids helping, and then, the kids who come to the camp, they’re usually interested in art, but they just don’t have the opportunity to get this deep into it,” Ms. Memmolo said.

“The goal is to build their confidence with the art but also just with themselves. They’ve made friends. Every camp, you see little friend groups being made. It’s so cute. And they’re highly encouraged to be very expressive in a no-pressure type of environment.”

The Dover Art League also offers classes for adults in different mediums, from pottery to stained glass to watercolor.

As the only full-time paid employee, Ms. Memmolo said the league relies on volunteers and also paid, part-time teachers for classes.

“We’ve been gaining a lot of traction quickly, but we’re still a small group. So, getting more people involved would be great. Volunteers are always welcome,” she said.

Board members are also sought. As such, an individual would be part of shaping the organization’s future and advancing its mission of connecting the community through the arts. Applications are due Aug. 15.

For information on classes, volunteering and board opportunities, visit thedoverartleague.com, email thedoverartleague@gmail.com or call 302-747-7169.