Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Jones.
Hi Rick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story began in late 1950 when my mother recognized my drawing ability, and she enrolled me in Saturday morning classes at the Dayton Art Institute. From there, I took some art in high school and then pursued a BFA in painting at Wright State University. I met my amazing wife there–also in the Art Department–and she also received a BFA. In 1970 I was accepted into the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. I received the MFA in painting there in 1972 after studying under Grace Hartigan. Chris, my wife, went on to become a recognized professional basketmaker for twenty-five years opting out of grad school to stay home and raise our two children.
I taught college art for six years, and in my final two years, I was director of the campus arts center at Missouri Southern State College. There I was given a lighter teaching schedule to direct the center. I enjoyed that component more than the teaching and thus began a career directing community arts centers. I retired from that career in 2015 and opened Renaissance Fine Art Supplies & Framing with my wife, Chris, and son, Brandt. In 2017, I began painting again after not having the opportunity since 1976 as an arts administrator.
For more details on me, please read my memoir published in June 2021, titled Silent Rise. Although a memoir, it describes how the arts helped spark a major renaissance in Hamilton over my years as director of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, the organization from which I retired.
Here’s a universal book link to my book: https://books2read.com/u/4EKQwl
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing up in an Appalachian transplanted family in Dayton, Ohio, money was always a challenge for my parents. I was an only child, so my parents were determined to make things better for all of us, so they left factory jobs and opened their own barber and beauty shop in the early 1960s. This allowed me to go to college and move on from there.
During my community arts career, challenges were a constant. Program development for a wide segment of the community, advocacy with business/community. And political leaders, developing and keeping a professional staff, operating a 45,000-sf building, and raising funds constantly to keep it all together and growing were facing us annually.
What can I say about the challenges of opening and operating your own retail brick-and-mortar store? We had a space in Hamilton’s new Artspace, Inc. facility, and we faced white walls and a tile floor. Everything else was up to us. But so far, we have raged on selling art supplies and framing in a city of 63,000 through a pandemic with yet another possible and inflation with a possible recession coming. To date, the store has paid all of its expenses, and my wife, son, and I have not taken a salary.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I began painting again in 2017 after a 46-year hiatus. I paint on primed hardboard, and currently, I paint realistic landscapes. I consider myself a hobby painter since my goal this past few years has been to shed the rust off my compositional, drawing, and color skills. I learn more with each painting.
Since I live in a small market, I guess today I’m beginning to be recognized for my store and paintings and less recognized as the Founding Executive Director of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts. So, all that was accomplished there and the importance of its role in revitalizing Hamilton, I wrote my book so the story would not be lost.
I suppose in this mid-size very conservative city, what sets me apart is my lifelong involvement in the arts.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
During my community arts career, I read exclusively nonfiction books on leadership, operating a nonprofit, working with boards, human resources, personnel, etc. The majority of my career was without the benefit of the internet.
There were three major turning points in my professional career. First was my grad experience at MICA. Through two years of intense painting experiences, sitting down one-on-one with major New York artists, and gut-wrenching sessions with Grace Hartigan, I left as a new artist.
In 1987, I was selected as one of thirty arts administrators to attend a Leadership in the Arts summer retreat in Minneapolis at the university. It was life-changing in many ways. The requirement for selection was at least ten years as an arts administrator. For two-and-a-half weeks we were torn apart and re-assembled by facilitators. We left with a host of new self and professional perspectives.
During my Hamilton years, early on, I discovered the board work of John Carver (Policy Governance. I listened to his tapes and read his books. In my previous Wooster years, I knew there had to be a better model of nonprofit board governance. I found it in Carver’s work and applied it to mine as well as consulting with numerous boards in the region.
As for apps, besides the several I have for just daily life stuff, I use copyright-free photo sites for inspiration for my paintings (or photos I’ve taken).
Now, at 74, I read for pleasure, run my store, and paint. Oh, and occasionally replace a carburetor on a lawn tractor, but that’s beside the point.
Contact Info:
- Website: rfasupplies.com; rickhjones.com
- Instagram: rfas218
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renaissancefineartsupplies
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rfasupplies
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/rfas218/
