M&T Bank showcasing work by Delaware College of Art and Design faculty, staff

A plain, construction-shielding wall in the lobby of M&T Bank’s Wilmington Trust Building location has spent the last few months as a gallery for artists affiliated with the Delaware College of Art and Design, thanks to a collaboration between the two institutions.

M&T’s desire to dress up the bland, white 35-foot-by-16-foot wall during building renovations coincided with the celebration of DCAD’s 20th anniversary as an artistic and educational hub of downtown Wilmington. While artwork was being collected and curated for the “DCAD@20” auction and exhibition in the College’s Toni & Stuart B. Young Gallery, the idea emerged to hang select pieces at M&T – which is the presenting sponsor of the DCAD’s anniversary activities – until “DCAD@20” opened in September.

That display of works by DCAD alumni, faculty, staff and friends was hung in the M&T lobby from July 5 to Sept. 1. After that time, the paintings, drawings and other items were returned to the College for hanging in the Young Gallery in time for the opening reception the night of September’s Wilmington Art Loop. The pieces making up “DCAD@20” may be viewed and bid upon in the Young Gallery through Oct. 16.

Thanks to their exposure at M&T, some of those pieces were among the first to sell – at their “buy now” prices – when the online auction opened to bidding. Proceeds from these and the auction’s other sales are split between the artist and DCAD’s scholarship fund, with half going to each.

Due to the abundance of positive feedback received during the M&T display, officials decided to continue the collaboration with a new batch of art. As a result, DCAD faculty members and academic administrators were invited to submit pieces for a new display.

These were hung at M&T on Sept. 18 and will remain on view there until later this month. Like the previously shown items, all of those being exhibited are for sale.

Such community involvement is nothing new for M&T. Through its philanthropic arm, The M&T Charitable Foundation, it supports a diverse range of civic, cultural, health and human service organizations with financial grants, employee volunteerism and in-kind services. Since 2005, M&T has donated more than $182 million to a wide range of community-based organizations and, each year, their employees report spending thousands of hours in volunteer service to support what is most important in local communities. M&T also has earned the highest possible Community Reinvestment Act rating on every exam since 1982.

DCAD will continue celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout the 2017-18 academic term. A highlight of this celebration will be a fundraising gala during the spring. In addition to M&T, sponsors include the Curran Foundation; Delmarva; Aloysius Butler & Clark; the Corroon Family Foundation; Wohlsen Construction; Beth and Matt Brown; Ashby & Geddes; Ellen and Jim Semple; the City of Wilmington; and Highmark.