You never know what path your creativity will lead you down at the Delaware Art Museum. For Obaapa Asante, a first-year photography class at the University of Delaware led to her work being featured in the Photovoice exhibition, her first visit to the Museum, and eventually joining the Museum staff as a Summer Camp Assistant for DelArt’s Summer Art Camp.
Asante was enrolled in a photography class with graduate student, Ryan Dittmar, where she responded to the same prompt as Photovoice participants: “What does culture mean to you?” Using the historic cyanotype process, she captured her interpretation of the prompt by focusing on places where children can play, grow, learn, and express themselves. Her work later caught the attention of Associate Professor Jon Cox, one of the leads of the Photovoice project, who invited her to include her cyanotype in the exhibition at DelArt.
With both formal and informal experiences caring for children, Asante found inspiration close to home and across the ocean. Her mother travels to her home country of Ghana each year to support expectant mothers, and her friend’s family owns and operates a local daycare. These experiences led her to consider what third spaces for children can look like and how these spaces become memories.
Her Photovoice cyanotype, Little Stars Memory Inc., pays homage to her daycare experience, and while she was initially worried that her work was too out of the box, she soon realized that that was not only perfect for the assignment, but also led her to being included in the exhibition.
“I originally thought…that mine was out of place in a childish sort of sense, but that’s what I was going for,” said Asante.
Asante’s work was hand-selected for Photovoice at DelArt, and the exhibition opening marked her first time visiting the Museum. The experience reminded her that Delaware always has more to offer if you look for it, whether that is art, community, or simply a new experience.
“It was really cool to have that experience of giving back to the thing that gave me a step in the right direction”
When looking for summer work, Obaapa kept an eye out for opportunities sent by the UD internship coordinator, and when she saw an opening in DelArt’s Summer Art Camp. Her connection to the Museum through Photovoice motivated her to apply, one of two opportunities she was hoping to land for the summer. And she was successful.
Asante’s time at DelArt this summer opened the opportunity for her to explore her interests in visual art she hadn’t anticipated. As an incoming second-year student in the University of Delaware’s Bachelor of Arts program, Asante hopes to enter the Visual Communications BFA program in her third year. She is particularly interested in poster design and promotional materials, and the summer role gave her the opportunity to put that interest into practice. Besides getting a deeper look into Wilmington’s arts community, she designed weekly flyers and posters for the campers to know what classes they were attending.
Summer Art Camp concluded on Friday, August 21, and Asante is now heading to her second year of the arts program at the University of Delaware. Meanwhile, Photovoice will remain on view at the DelArt through Sunday, September 6, 2026.
As time passes, some opportunities come to an end while others begin. Asante’s journey reminds us that creativity can connect you to unexpected people, places, and possibilities—and that an out-of-the-box creative experience can be the first step toward opening a new door.
Written by Allison Lapinski, Marketing & Digital Storytelling Assistant