Georgetown artist awarded individual fellowship

The Delaware Division of the Arts recently announced the recipients of its 2022 Individual Artist Fellowship Awards. Among the awardees was Georgetown resident Joseph Barbaccia.

The division recognizes artists in a variety of disciplines for their outstanding quality of work and provides monetary awards.

Individual Artist Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis for quality as demonstrated by creativity and skill in an art form. Applications are accepted in 18 artistic disciplines in the fields of choreography, folk art, jazz, literature, media arts, music and visual arts.

“I’m excited and honored to have been among the recipients of this award. Thanks to this grant, I will be able to hold a future public solo exhibit to showcase my work to the Delaware community, as well as to participate in two group shows, one at the Biggs Museum in Dover and one at CAMP in Rehoboth Beach,” said Barbaccia.

Born in Philadelphia in 1952, Barbaccia studied at its Tyler School of Fine Art. From 1976 to 1984, he traveled throughout the United States and South Pacific, concentrating on drawing and painting in a mostly representational style.

In 1996, Barbaccia moved to Potomac Falls, Va., and began to paint with encaustics on carved plaster reliefs. With his “Animal Metaphors” series in 2000 and the 2002 “Santos” series, he fully evolved to freestanding sculpture, creating pieces that employed the act of wrapping and winding materials over a mixed-media framework.

In 2003, Barbaccia’s art took another definitive step. By incorporating the most basic of materials in assemblies that underscore craftsmanship and meaning, he had pared down visual insight to a more essential level of expression. 2008 saw Barbaccia’s work recognized in the greater Washington, D.C. area as some of the most compelling when he became a finalist for the Trawick Prize.

In 2014, he began to create with polymer clay. The resulting works are three-dimensional in form, similar to bas-reliefs. In 2018, Barbaccia moved to Delaware, where he has continued his passion for art in the Sussex County area.

His images have been presented as covers and interior pieces for magazines, books and more. Barbaccia has also written articles about his unique style for Polymer Arts magazine.

Barbaccia is a member of the Rehoboth Art League, Milton Arts Guild, Developing Artist Collaboration and International Polymer Clay Association.

To learn more, go to paradisestudio.com.