Members of families known for city development investing themselves in DCAD fundraiser

Members of two Wilmington families already heavily invested both in the art world and in the success of Wilmington and its Creative District are coming together to chair Delaware College of Art and Design’s 2018 spring fundraiser – the DCAD@20 Art Party – in April.

Mati Bonetti de Buccini is a partner and the director of Atelier, an art preservation and storage organization with facilities in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Cindy Pettinaro Wilkinson owns COCA Art, a local art gallery and retailer. Their family businesses develop and invest in real estate in and around Wilmington, Buccini/Pollin Group since 1993 and Pettinaro since 1965.

“DCAD brings so much energy and creativity to Wilmington – it’s what prompted me to join the Board of Trustees four years ago,” said Buccini, who moved to this area with her family nine years ago and has seen many changes downtown since then. “Bringing more creativity to the city is always the right answer. Technology and robotics and automation are surging, but creativity and art can never be automated.”

Wilkinson has a lengthy history of supporting events in Wilmington – going back to Delaware Theatre Company events like the original Barefoot Ball when DTC was the only cultural institution in the Riverfront area. Events have changed since then, and so has Wilmington’s downtown and Riverfront areas.

“DCAD planted the creative flag in downtown Wilmington,” Wilkinson said. “The creative community has flourished under their umbrella. The Art Party will really showcase this.”

The DCAD@20 Art Party will take place in DCAD’s Market Street galleries and on Sixth Street between those two indoor spaces. It will raise funds to support general operations and scholarships at the College, which was founded in 1997 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary through the graduation of its 20th class in May. The event offers an accessible ticket price that includes adult beverages and catering by restaurants coming to the new DE.CO Food Hall that Buccini/Pollin Group is creating in the DuPont Building. Music and art will be abundant at the party.

Wilkinson hopes the DCAD@20 Art Party will attract a downtown corporate crowd along with art and education enthusiasts.

“The DCAD@20 Art Party will be right after work on a Thursday,” she said. “We hope people working in the law firms and in the banks and other corporates spaces nearby will wander down and join us and learn a little more about DCAD and how much value its presence brings to downtown Wilmington.”

This value includes DCAD’s place as an anchor institution in Wilmington’s revitalization and its role as a catalyst for community creativity.  Beyond those, however, is its tremendous personal value.

“As a parent of three children – two of them teenagers – I have learned how important it is to give kids space to find themselves,” Buccini said. “It is challenging to find one’s voice and sense of self at this tender age, and for a teenager to have the courage to find an artistic voice, sometimes even harder. DCAD provides that safe space for kids in the greater community to find their voice and sense of artistic self.”

The DCAD@20 Art Party will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 19. Presenting Sponsors are M&T Bank and Wilmington Trust. Individual tickets cost $50 each, and a special Patron Package and a number of sponsorship options are available. To purchase tickets, visit www.dcad.edu/support. For additional information, contact DCAD development director Renée T. Garnick at rgarnick@dcad.edu or (302) 622-8000, ext. 107.