Alumnus Applies Art

Michael Kalmbach received his BA at Bloomsburg University in 2003 and his MFA at the University of Delaware in 2008. Shortly after completing his graduate studies he accepted a position at the Delaware College of Art & Design and founded the New Wilmington Art Association, an artist collective that organized exhibitions in vacant space throughout the City of Wilmington from August 2008 to April 2013.

This work led to Michael’s involvement with the Chris White Community Development Corporation, which developed the 23-unit artist live/work space, Shipley Lofts. Kalmbach now serves the CWCDC as Board Chairman. In June 2011 he accepted a contract with the State of Delaware's Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to develop a space for artists on the behavioral health spectrum. The Creative Vision Factory has been open since December of 2011 and fosters the creative potential of individuals with behavioral health disorders in a studio art environment that cultivates integration with the local community through a program of exhibitions, workshops, and communal workspace.

Kalmbach maintains his own painting practice and has exhibited work in venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, the Biggs Museum of American Art, and UnSmoke Systems.

Michael writes: "My experience at Bloomsburg University gave me the necessary foundation to create a career for myself in the arts. As a Studio Art major I benefited from supportive relationships with the faculty of the Department of Art & Art History. I was encouraged by them to pursue my intellectual interests, so I spent a great deal of time in the English and Philosophy Departments. This liberal arts background has served me well and continues to inform my work in the City of Wilmington. Since graduating I have returned to campus on a number of occasions. As my career unfolds, it’s comforting to know that I can count on the Faculty and Staff of Bloomsburg University to be there as a resource."