User:Pvonroenn/sandbox

Kenneth Frederick von Roenn, Jr. was born in 1948 in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended Florida State University, on a full athletic scholarship in springboard and platform diving, earning a B. A. degree. He returned to training in the 1980’s and won ten Masters National Championships and two World Championships, setting two world records.

von Roenn began his career in glass in 1970 at Louisville Art Glass. Within a few years he had become the General Manager and in 1975, he was promoted to President. In the early 70’s he was an active member of the Stained Glass Association of America serving on the executive committee and was chairman of the publications committee. During this period, he compiled a body of innovative work and expanded the reputation of the studio as one of the most progressive in the country. During this period von Roenn wrote extensively for several magazines on the topic of glass in architecture. He taught courses in Architectural Art at the U of KY School of Architecture from 1974-76. Recognizing a need to expand his background, he left the studio in 1977 to pursue a Masters Degree in Architecture at Yale University. At Yale, von Roenn further developed his interest in architectural art through work with the architect/sculptor Kent Bloomer which was culminated in his thesis entitled, ‘The Primary Modalities of Art’s Relationship to Architecture: Integration, Juxtaposition and Synthesis’. He graduated in 1981 and established von Roenn Studio Group in Branford, CT, which designed glass, architecture, graphics and furniture, executing commissions nationally. In 1983, he moved back to Louisville and worked for two local architectural firms before establishing an architectural practice with two partners, Bailey, Preston, von Roenn.

In 1991, von Roenn bought the Louisville Art Glass Studio and renamed it Architectural Glass Art, Inc. He expanded and reorganized the company redirecting its focus on new roles for glass in architecture. The studio has become recognized for its innovative application of new technologies. He serves as the director of design and CEO/President, managing a staff of thirty.

In the late 90’s, von Roenn’s desire to expand the studio led to his search for a new space. During this period, he joined with a group of developers and investors interested in the revitalization of downtown Louisville as well as the region’s firm commitment to the arts. The group, guided by von Roenn’s vision of a multipurpose glass facility, formulated a concept for what is now known as Glassworks. From the original idea of a new home for Architectural Glass Art, von Roenn created a space for more than 50 glass artists to work and sell their art. von Roenn owned and oversaw the two galleries, a public workshop, a tour program, a special events program and the glass blowing studio which comprise Glassworks. Glassworks is visited by more than 125,000 people annually which makes it one of Louisville’s most popular attractions. In 2012 von Roenn sold his interest in Glassworks to focus his attention exclusively on Architectural Glass Art which has moved to a larger studio in order to fabricate larger sculptures.

Under von Roenn’s leadership the studio has executed more than 1,000 projects throughout the United States as well as projects in Japan, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and China. In addition to designing his own projects, von Roenn has also collaborated with several significant artists on major projects including Al Held, Jose Bedia, Laura Battle, Thomas Sayre and Jennifer Bartlett as well as consulting on other projects with Judy Pfaff, Kiki Smith and Jaume Plensa. He has also worked with many of the leading American architects. Von Roenn designed, and his studio produced, the world’s largest glass sculpture, which crowns the top of Wachovia Bank’s Corporate Headquarters in Charlotte, NC. This work is more than 500,000 pounds, can be seen from several miles away and is designed to withstand hurricane force winds.

Von Roenn’s work has been published in numerous books and in every major architecture magazine including a feature article in “Architecture” magazine. He has lectured extensively throughout North America and Canada and has written dozens of articles on art and architecture. Von Roenn has received numerous awards, including the Faith and Form Visual Arts Grand Award, American Crafts Award for Architectural Art, the AIA Allied Professional Award, the DuPont Benedictus Award, the Corning Museum Award, the Al Smith Fellowship, Tau Sigma Delta Architecture Fraternity Award, five Ministry & Liturgy’s Bene Awards. In addition, von Roenn received the Crystal Award for his design of a new all glass bridge to the Louisville arena, which is the highest award in the architectural glass industry. This project has been recognized as a technological tour de force in the glass industry for the way in which an artistic glass was used for the first time as a primary structural element for the bridge. He has been inducted into the American Glass Hall of Fame as well as the Atherton High School Hall of Fame and was named one the twenty-five most influential people in the arts in the Midwest by Dialogue magazine. He was presented with the Governor’s Award in the Arts in 2011 by the governor of Kentucky, which is the highest honor bestowed on a Kentucky artist.

In the spring of 2013 von Roenn was named the Director of the Master Craftsman Studio and the Associate Director of the new Public/Architectural Art Program at Florida State University. He worked closely with FSU to develop the P/AAP, which is the first of its kind in the US. The objective of the program is to prepare students to work on architectural and public art projects. With this move to Tallahassee, Florida he has begun a new studio with his partner, Ursula Vourvoulis, who has more than twenty years of experience in architectural glass.