Ryan Wheeler, who has returned to Mobridge after years of absence, was the speaker Monday, Aug. 30, at Rotary and described how he came to open Art Bank in the old First National Bank building on South Main. He was introduced by Cindy Melcher, program chairman.

Ryan, the son of Dennis and Dorothy Wheeler of Mobridge,  had lived in Mobridge as a child and attended the first through fourth grades in Mobridge. While his parents came back to Mobridge a number of years ago, Ryan began planning his return to Mobridge about six years ago.

He had attended art school in Cleveland, Ohio, to study drawing and became interested in computer printing and graphic design. Most of his friends went into the computer work, but Ryan stayed in the print field. Working with the Los Angeles County and sheriff's department, he improved his expertise in printing and taught many of the inmates in the jail, which had a population equal to Mobridge, how to do various print work. His official job title was process control.

"I originally thought it would take me three years to get all the necessary data transferred to computer, but it took nearly six years to complete," he said. He took all his expertise and transferred it to art reproduction.

Now back in Mobridge, Ryan and his wife Erin have opened Art Bank where he can transfer art to whatever material the artist would like. In the past, a limited number of prints could be made, but with new technology prints can now be made in unlimited numbers and smaller lots done  numerous times without losing the quality. This Giclee process has more consistent color and can reprint jobs without losing any of the original quality.

Erin and Ryan bought out Fireside Framing and have taken hours of classes in matting and framing to meet the needs of the area. He explained how pieces of artwork need to be protected by using the right kind of matting materials so artwork will not deteriorate over a period of time. An art gallery on the premises is in their plans for the future.

Ryan brought chuckles from the Rotarians when he told how the prison inmates would ask him to print $20 bills. Equipment for this type of printing all has a distinct dot in the print and if it were used for counterfeiting, the bills would be traced to his equipment.

President Mark Dady reported that there are 23 Monday Night Football Books left which need to be sold as soon as possible as the football season is starting soon.

Jan Saylor won the 50/50 pot. There will be no meeting next week in observance of Labor Day.

Rotary has a luncheon meeting each Monday, except holidays, at the Moose Lodge.