This week's Speaker is Tony Jones, The Nerman Family President, Kansas City Art Institute. His topic is "Rockhill: Two Showrooms and a Factory."
Born in Wales, Great Britain, Professor Tony Jones is an internationally-known arts administrator, broadcaster, educator, exhibition curator and historian of art, architecture and design, and a consultant on higher education and the arts. A citizen of both Britain and the United States, he was educated at Goldsmith’s College in London and the Newport College of Art in Wales as a sculptor, painter and art historian. He initially came to the United States for postgraduate study as a Fulbright Scholar to Tulane University in New Orleans.
Professor Jones served as Director of the renowned Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, and was appointed President of America’s top-ranked School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 1986, serving in that capacity until 1991, when he was invited to become Director of the Royal College of Art, London, the world’s leading college of art and design. He returned to SAIC in 1997 and served as president until 2012, when he was named Chancellor and President-Emeritus, and was co-CEO of the Corporation of the Art Institute of Chicago until his retirement.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth conferred him the title Commander of the British Empire (CBE ) in 2003, Professor Jones holds a Master of Fine Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans, six Honorary Doctorates and an array of international honors. He was conferred the Knight’s Cross of Austria for services to education in Europe, elected an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects, and received the Distinguished Service Award of the American Lawyers for the Arts, among many others. He is a former two-term national chairman of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. He was appointed Honorary Professor of the University of Wales, Honorary Director of Musashino Art University, and Honorary Director of the Osaka University of Arts in Japan, and is the Pao Yue-Kong Visiting Professor at Ningbo University, China. In 2011, an historic building in downtown Chicago was named ‘Jones Hall’ in his honour. In 2020, the original student living center at the KCAI campus was renovated and repurposed and named ‘Tony Jones Studios for Animation and Illustration’ in Jones’ honour by the KCAI Board of Trustees.
He is a recognized authority on the development of art, design and architecture in the Modern Age, most notably the work of British architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Arts & Crafts Movement, the Wiener Werkstatte, the Celtic Revival and the British chief designer for Liberty’s of London, Archibald Knox. He has created numerous exhibitions in the U.K. and U.S., as well as several touring exhibitions in Japan. In addition to numerous books and articles, he has scripted and hosted several television series and radio programmes for the BBC, including “Cities Under the Skin: Glasgow and Chicago” for BBC-TV Scotland and “Painting the Dragon,” a four-part series on contemporary artists for BBC-TV Wales. His seminal book “Welsh Chapels” resulted in a major exhibition of his research into chapel culture at the National Museum Cardiff, and two HTV television programs.
In January 2015, Professor Jones was asked to serve as Interim President of the Kansas City Art Institute. Less than a year into his interim position he was asked to remain as the permanent President, which has since been endowed and named The Nerman Family President. He secured the largest gifts given to any college of art and design in the United States, and is currently overseeing the expansion of Kansas City Art Institute by commissioning three new buildings.
Professor Jones is married to the distinguished American photographer Patty Carroll, and they currently reside in Kansas City and Chicago.
We will be meeting in person this week at the Gallery, however a Zoom link for this meeting will be emailed to members who cannot attend in person. If you would like to visit as a guest, please email Executive Director Mandy Sheldon.
President Tony Andresen welcomed all to the Club with the Camp for Kids and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Jackson Granstaff delivered a prayer for security, comfort, and freedom for all people, including Afghan refugees. We welcomed eight guests and those attending via Zoom. President Tony thanked the Rotary Bowlers for greeting today and recognized the following Club Anniversaries: Woody Davis (37 years), Richard Helmuth (15 years), and Neil Barnett (16 years).
President Tony reported that thirty-five persons from several area Rotary Clubs participated in the Day of Service at the Camp on September 11, and thirteen others traveled to the Prairie Day at Dunn Ranch. Dan Nenonen encouraged donations to the Centennial Campaign to help complete funding for the construction of a new Administration and Health Lodge at the Camp. Linn Mills is looking for a volunteer(s) to chair the Shoes for Orphan Souls Committee after five years of dedicated service. If you are interested, contact Linn or Brad Kliendl.
Jan Armstrong then introduced our engaging speaker, Fang Shen, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Husch Blackwell law firm. Ms. Shen is of Chinese descent migrating to the United States from north central China to attend law school at UMKC some twenty years ago. When she arrived, she knew no one, had no money, and was unemployed. She had no intention to stay but met her future husband and, as it happens, her perception changed. She has grown to appreciate Kansas City and its small town feel. Initially, her parents were hesitant to endorse a marriage to an American but learned, as she had, that once superficial differences are put aside, common experience, goals, and interests can be discovered. Ms. Shen has served as the Chair of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce and has her pulse on the Asian community in Kansas City. There are over 4,100 small businesses owned by Asian Americans in the metro area including restaurants, art galleries, and I.T. companies. People of Asian background make up 2.6% of the population in Jackson County but 4.6% in Johnson County. In addition to the Asian American Chamber, there are other events such as the Ethnic Enrichment Festival, the Japan Festival, and the Kansas City Chinese Association’s Water Lantern event, New Years Celebration, and Dragon Boat Festival, in which Club 13 has been a long-time participant. The importance of the Asian community in the metro area should be self-evident. Nonetheless, given the political climate, the origins of the coronavirus, and American biases, the Asian community can feel underrepresented and isolated. Our speaker did not take on some of the difficult issues which have plagued American-Chinese relations but spoke about the way in which each country needs the other. Applause for the commitment and work ethic Fang Shen and other Asian immigrants have employed to become productive citizens and leaders in the Kansas City community!
President Tony read a quote from General Colin Powell, “Immigration has been the lifeblood of our country since the very beginning.” We adjourned after the reading of the Four Way Test.
A BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped with the Park(ing) Day event on Saturday, Sept. 18th. Jan Armstrong, Eryn Realmuto, Bill Madsen, Jackson Granstaff, Blake Fry, Lon Lawton, Madaline Walter, Dallas Ziegenhorn, Taylor Jackson, David McCaughey and especially Laurie Mozley for all her help with the Camp activities! It was a great event!
We meet Thursdays at Noon
The Gallery
14 & Main
Kansas City, MO
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*REMINDER*
Masks are required to be worn in the Gallery when not eating or drinking.
Hello Rotarians! Our 2021/2022 season is underway and we just completed the 2nd week. We have 12 teams this year, which is more than we've had in a number of years.
200 games:
Peter Ho-222
Will Patrick-253
Notable Splits:
Kay Roscoe-5/10
Joey Grimsley-2/4/10
Come on by on Wednesdays at 4:30 (at Ward Parkway Lanes) if you want to watch and enjoy a beverage, we would love to see you!
The Satellite Club will meet on Tuesday, September 28th, 5:30 PM in the meeting room at the Tower Tavern, 401 East 31st Street. Dennis McKeehan will serve as Moderator and, following networking, Rotarian Brad Kleindl will speak on the Club 13 international service projects. There will be a short discussion on the October social event and the meeting will end with the Four Way Test. All Club 13 members are welcome to attend.
Rotary Youth Camp Update
Did you know today is national care for kids day? National Care for Kids Day, held annually on September 20th, offers an opportunity for you to positively impact a child’s life in a variety of ways both large and small. National Care for Kids Day asks you to step forward—to act on your ideas, donate and share your time, creating more stories of inspiration. It’s a day to contribute to existing programs and volunteer where there is a need, giving children in your community every opportunity to grow and thrive.
Jan Armstrong then introduced our engaging speaker, Fang Shen, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Husch Blackwell law firm. Ms. Shen is of Chinese descent migrating to the United States from north central China to attend law school at UMKC some twenty years ago. When she arrived, she knew no one, had no money, and was unemployed. She had no intention to stay but met her future husband and, as it happens, her perception changed. She has grown to appreciate Kansas City and its small town feel. Initially, her parents were hesitant to endorse a marriage to an American but learned, as she had, that once superficial differences are put aside, common experience, goals, and interests can be discovered. Ms. Shen has served as the Chair of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce and has her pulse on the Asian community in Kansas City. There are over 4,100 small businesses owned by Asian Americans in the metro area including restaurants, art galleries, and I.T. companies. People of Asian background make up 2.6% of the population in Jackson County but 4.6% in Johnson County. In addition to the Asian American Chamber, there are other events such as the Ethnic Enrichment Festival, the Japan Festival, and the Kansas City Chinese Association’s Water Lantern event, New Years Celebration, and Dragon Boat Festival, in which Club 13 has been a long-time participant. The importance of the Asian community in the metro area should be self-evident. Nonetheless, given the political climate, the origins of the coronavirus, and American biases, the Asian community can feel underrepresented and isolated. Our speaker did not take on some of the difficult issues which have plagued American-Chinese relations but spoke about the way in which each country needs the other. Applause for the commitment and work ethic Fang Shen and other Asian immigrants have employed to become productive citizens and leaders in the Kansas City community! 
@rotaryclub13
@rotary13
@rotaryclub13
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