Alum brings art-friendly atmosphere to Wilmington

He might be crazy for trying, but Michael Kalmbach keeps stirring a little artistic spirit into a city known more for its banks than its galleries. He's succeeding, too. So well, in fact, that he won a Christi Award for it.

Kalmbach is the founding director of the NWAA, the New Wilmington Art Association, which helps artists find affordable living and studio spaces in Wilmington. The program, which sprung from his own experiences and needs, aims to help artists settle down in Wilmington, a city that runs on a nine to five business schedule.

 

Kalmbach formed the group after having considerable difficulty finding a job and studio space.  He aims to help others do what he had difficulty doing — trying to support himself as a young artist.

He has been attracted to an artist's lifestyle since he was an adolescent, and his family supported him.

"My mother is an elementary art teacher," Kalmbach says. "She encouraged me to do whatever it is I wanted to."

After studying at Bloomsberg University, Kalmbach attended the University of Delaware for his graduate degree because it was the most economical option and it was close to major cities such as Philadelphia. The university also gave him the opportunity to take classes that weren't necessarily related to art.

When he graduated from the university and began searching for a college teaching job,  he found himself out of luck. He eventually decided to take a job as an admissions counselor in the College of Art and Design at the university. This lifeline would become a great asset, according to Kalmbach.

When his son was born and bills were mounting, he looked for a cheap space, but there was nothing to be found. Then, he got a break — a friend introduced him to property owners in downtown Wilmington.

"The Buccini Pollin Group expressed an interest," he says. "We have a real need and they have a lot of space downtown."

The NWAA is trying to promote art in the city.

"We're trying to get people to think about Wilmington as a place to start their careers," Kalmbach says. "A new art community can be one that is centric around a studio community."

The organization is making sure gallery space is available as well.  In Shipley Lofts, their newest project, artists will be able to get cheap apartments. there will also be gallery space on the first floor.

Presently, they have an exhibition at 312 N. Market Street that opened on the Sept. 30 and runs until Oct. 15.

The NWAA is also a community that revolves around sharing costs that could otherwise be expensive. They share resources so that they maximize the value of their investments, like a $600 fee for a one-night show. The real goal, though, is to generate a strong community of artists in a generally business-oriented city.

This goal brought Kalmbach to the attention of Delaware's art community. He was approached by several people who asked who he thought would be a good candidate for a Christi award — but they were considering him.

Kalmbach says his selection was an honor, and he also mentioned the award's benefits for his organization.

"The Christi award is definitely going to reach a demographic that hasn't heard of us," Kalmbach says. "It provides a new platform to talk about artists needs."

The extra attention brought on by the award is helping Kalmbach as he tries to introduce university art students and graduates to the opportunities that are available in Wilmington.

"What enables me to do all this is my job as an admissions counselor," he says. "UD's art programs and faculty are responsible for creating really smart and forward thinking young artists."

NWAA members are also spreading the word to their associates in other cities like Boston and New York. The word is Wilmington.

"The sales pitch is that it's in the middle of everything," Kalmbach says.

He and the NWAA have big plans for the future.

Aside from their commitment to Shipley Lofts, the NWAA is close to setting up studio spaces, and they're trying to become a legitimate nonprofit organization. Kalmbach says that in March they applied to the Delaware Division of the Arts startup program so they could qualify to get tax breaks and attain real nonprofit status.

"Our mission has to be tied to downtown Wilmington," Kalmbach says, "When we talk about affordable artist housing it begs the question: What about affordable housing in general?"

He also says that Wilmington brings certain freedoms not found elsewhere. Due to a lack of competition, there is no shortage of space, but more importantly, Wilmington brings artists independence, a sense of community, and the freedom to make the kind of art that they're interested in making.

"We're just going to do what we want to do," Kalmbach says. "We have nothing to lose in Wilmington."