There’s a confluence of two shows of note now up in Wilmington. I regard that as an occasion to say, here’s a good time to get down there. One is the New! annual juried show at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (to July 25) and one is the Rules for Staying Young, a baseball themed show (to May 30) at the New Wilmington Art Association‘s current venue, 4 W. 5th St., Wilmington.

I haven’t seen the latter, and Roberta juried the former, so there’s only so much I can say about the shows in all fairness. But surely I’m allowed to say I saw some work that intrigued me at New! Here are some images:

pilonietavera — Esteban M. Pilonieta Vera’s installation about the poverty of his native country. The hut includes a door and peepholes with 3-D scenes inside.

walker1 — Jay Walker, tape on panel. Walker also has a solo show right now at Abington Art Center of his sculptures, to July 25, 2010

will — Philadelphia artist Ben Will’s reconfigured chair is nothing of the kind. Nor is his rug a rug or anything else anything you’ve ever seen before. Love it.

There was lots more to photograph at this show, but DCCA wouldn’t let me! Sorry to all you great artists who put up so much good work! Here’s a complete list of who’s in the show: Dennis Beach, Wilmington, DE; Dylan J. Beck, Manhattan, KS; Nancy A. Breslin, Newark, DE; Linda Celestian, Wilmington, DE; Deng-Yao Chang, Baltimore, MD; Eo Ryoung Choi, Baltimore, MD; Eileen Cubbage, New York, NY; Jinming Dong, Gettysburg, PA; Shannon L. Donovan, Philadelphia, PA; Teresa Faris, Madison, WI; Leah Frankel, North Wales, PA ; Eric Garner, Bethesda, MD; Clarissa Gregory, Baltimore, MD; Meaghan Harrison, Baltimore, MD; Stephanie Kirk, West Chester, PA; Sarah Koljonen, Philadelphia, PA; Jenee Mateer, Baltimore, MD; Cyle M. Metzger, Baltimore, MD; Kristy M. Modarelli, Philadelphia, PA; Leslie Mutchler, Austin, TX; Francis Michael Palazzolo, New York, NY; Esteban M. Pilonieta Vera, Bear, DE; Trevor Reese, Brooklyn, NY; Ephraim Russell, Philadelphia, PA ; Jim Shirey, Athens, OH; Steven H. Silberg, Catonsville, MD; Alison Stigora, West Chester, PA; Valetta, Westtown, PA; Jay Walker, Malvern, PA; Ben Will, Philadelphia, PA; and Jayoung Yoon, Brooklyn, NY.

HiroKurata — Hiro Kurata’s Japanese style take on baseball the game and baseball the sphere.

I hear the baseball show is NWAA’s best show yet. There’s new grass on the field, and suddenly I find myself with an acute case of baseball fever. Besides the images that came along are stellar. Here are a couple (above and below).

TomJudd — Tom Judd’s DIY radio reminds me of walking to school in Brooklyn with my portable radio to my ear, when the Brooklyn Dodgers were in the World Series. I didn’t need it. The sounds of the game were everywhere, drifting out of houses and storefronts, from TV’s and radios.

And here’s who’s playing with baseball: Geoffrey Aldridge (courtesy of Conner/*gogo art projects), Brookes Britcher, Thomas Buildmore, Peter Capano, Mike Ellyson, Brian Patrick Franklin, Alex Gartelmann, Brandon Herman (courtesy of Envoy Enterprise), Tom Judd, Michael Kalmbach, Jacob Koestler, Hiro Kurata , David Levinthal (courtesy of David Levinthal), Ahlen Moin, Christopher Motta, Roger Patrick, Bryan Patrick Rice, Daniel Potterton, Mark Stockton, Brian Stuparyk, Morgan Thomas, and Lee Walton.

Plus there’s are several performances tonight starting at 6 p.m. Here’s more information.

With two shows in Wilmington, it’s surely worth the trek!