Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici, Calibrex Developments CEO Steve Bruno Visit UA Little Rock Students
The UA Little Rock community received some international exposure as guest presenters Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici of Italy and Calibrex Developments CEO Steve Bruno of Canada made a special trip to visit with students, faculty, board, and community members.
Medici and Bruno met with several groups of students at the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center on March 11, including art, history, and business majors as well as members of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program and the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps.
Medici discussed his love of art, philanthropy, Medici family history and its relevance in today’s economy, while Bruno shared his insights as a successful real estate developer.
Dr. Nate Marvin, an assistant professor of history who moderated one of the student meetings with Medici and Bruno, discussed how his students examined early Medici portraits and asked if Medici thought there were similarities between the use of portraits by his family and social media influencing today. Medici commented that the use of portraits was an early marketing and communications tool embraced by his family.
“The Medici family was the first to use media as an instrument to talk,” Medici said. “A painting is a medium in the old times. All the paintings were labeled with my family crest so people would know that this information is provided by the Medici family. They communicated through the first time in history through advertising. They used themselves as the face of the influencer through each sector. It’s very similar to things today.”
Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of UA Little Rock Downtown and a native of Poland, asked Medici about his Polish history with the understanding that his mother is a member of a Polish aristocratic family.
“You were the first person to talk to me in Polish in my adult life,” Medici remarked. “Most people think I don’t know Polish. Poland is a great part of my life. My mother gave me respect of art, respect of nature, and respect for people from different cultures.”
One student, who noted Medici’s love of cooking, asked if he critiqued Italian food while he is traveling.
“Ninety percent of people bring me to their favorite Italian restaurant, which is the worst thing they can do,” Medici laughed. “It is very difficult for me to find the right food. The only two places in the United States where you can get good Italian food are Florida and New York. Florida is the closest place to Italy in the United States, and there is a big Italian community.”
Another student asked Medici how he keeps his 8-year-old daughter informed about Medici family history.
“I have a daughter that I love so much,” Medici said. “I am telling the same stories to her, and she is listening maybe 80 percent of the time. I think she likes stories, not history. I am trying my best and thinking about how to tell her our history. It’s probably my biggest mission in life. She lives in America, and she may be a future politician. She may be the first woman president. I want her to know how important freedom is.”
Anna Hursey, a sophomore double majoring in English and art history from Pineville, Louisiana, found the visit to be fascinating and enlightening.
“Prince Lorenzo is an excellent storyteller and held a captivating conversation,” Hursey said. “I found Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici’s comments on the importance of getting the next generation interested in art and its history incredibly compelling. As an art history student, I care deeply about this concept and appreciate Prince Lorenzo’s words and perspective.”
