The Foundation

Establishing a foundation

Separately but together

Everyone who came to the Chełmowski house noticed a visible division of roles. The artist Józef – his time was filled with his work. He was always picking, painting and thinking. Receiving creative space from his wife, he realized 100% of the received talents. Jadwiga – the helm of this ship, it was her who bonded the house with her husband’s art. The range of her duties ranged from taking care of the family, through gardening and aesthetic works, ending with receiving guests. She found her comfort in the shadow of her husband, avoided cameras, consistently protecting her image. They both had their hands full of work, and their key to a successful marriage was joy of their role.

Foundation needed

The decision to establish the organization matured from the moment when Józef passed away in
2013 and left his artistic output behind. The key moment was 2018, when Jadwiga unexpectedly passed away. Legal personality was necessary to be able to apply for public funds for the conservation activities. The established non-governmental organization operating in the field of public benefit is the foundation for the development of the place created by the Chełmowski family as an important cultural center.

It is no coincidence that the foundation is under the patronage of both the founder and his spouse – the muse. Together, they created their extraordinary home. And so, in January 2019, their older daughter, Ewa, submitted the foundation act, making the first contribution to the statutory activity of the organization. March 25, 2019, Józef and Jadwiga Chełmowski Foundation received an entry in the register. The team is headed by a five-person board – the grandchildren of the Chełmowski family: Julita Królikowska, Aneta Matyszewska, Paweł Rudnik, Jonasz Rudnik and Magdalena Wirkus, who is also the president of the organization.

Józef and Jadwiga Chełmowski Foundation is a search, a compromise and protection. Searching for the future of the place where Józef Chełmowski himself lived and worked. It is also a compromise between the vision of perfect professional museum care, which was avoided by the
Chełmowski marriage, and the possibilities of an NGO run by the immediate family. Protection is, however, a direct contribution to the establishment of the Foundation.

Foundation mission

The main goals of the foundation include the preservation, maintenance, promotion and development of the open-air museum in tourism, as well as the protection of the artistic legacy of the artist Józef Chełmowski.

The Foundation takes care of open-air museum through:

strengthening the regional identity of the local society, activities for the Kashubian culture and the Kashubian language,
development of contacts and cooperation between government institutions, non-governmental and cultural organizations.