Rue Shaw, niece of the first Rue, begins a long tenure as President of the Club. She is noted for inviting the then-unknown composer John Cage to perform. Close friends with artists and architects, she leaves an important material legacy at the Club. In 1942, Shaw commissions Red Petals from Alexander Calder and then, after a rough period that leads to a temporary closure, convinces Mies van der Rohe to design new rooms to house the Club. The Mies space at 109 E. Ontario St. opens in 1951 with a landmark lecture by Jean Dubuffet entitled Anti-Cultural Positions, and hosts artists including Marc Chagall and Louise Nevelson.
