Arts Playlist: Christopher Starr's 'For Granted'

By Martin Matheny

Published January 30, 2026 at 9:55 AM EST

Country Fresh” (2025), photograph, 1080×692.

Art and beauty can be found all around. You don't necessarily need a sweeping landscape; sometimes a simple dumpster can spark joy.

That's the thesis behind "For Granted," a new exhibition of works on display now at the Delaware Division of the Arts' Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington.

The photographer behind the exhibition is Delawarean Christopher Starr, and in this week's Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media's Martin Matheny talked to Starr about finding beauty in the scenes we often take "for granted."

DPM's Martin Mathney interviews photographer Christopher Starr

The Delaware Division of the Arts presents the work of photographer Christopher Starr at its Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington.

Starr’s love affair with the camera began at Wilmington University in the 1980’s. Initially, he worked primarily in black and white photography, shooting flowers and plants at the Mt. Cuba Center.

But as his career evolved, he began focusing on the use of color and on capturing the beauty to be found in the commonplace. The result of that evolution can be found in his solo exhibition at the Mezzanine Gallery, called “For Granted.”

“Power Pass” (2023), photograph, 6.833”x4.31”.

“A lot of this stuff is just me looking for colors and photographing stuff that people just walk on by or drive on by," he says.

Starr says he tries not to take himself too seriously, and incorporates subtly humorous elements into his photographs. He wants viewers to walk away with a smile on their face.

“If people leave there in a better mood than when they came, that's the ultimate compliment to me," he says. "And I hope that's what people get out of it.”

Starr’s work is on display through February 27 at the Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington’s Carvel State Office Building. Admission is free, and the gallery is open weekdays from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.