By Ellen Shubart, Class of 2006
He’s an Angelino – born and bred in Los Angeles. And with the snow swirling around so early in November, perhaps he may be missing the sunshine of home. But Adam Rubin is delighted to be in Chicago and working with CAC to spread the word about Why Design Matters.
Adam joined CAC in June as Director of Interpretation, a position in the Education Department. He is involved with creating and maintaining exhibition content, training Exhibit Hosts and Education Guides, and architectural programming. It’s kept him busy, yet at the same time, he and his wife welcomed baby Louisa, now one month old.
This hectic lifestyle is not unusual for the Angelino. Adam grew up with architecture. His parents are school teachers; while in the fifth grade, Adam’s mom taught an architecture unit that he absorbed easily. It became part of his being. When he went to New York University for his undergraduate studies (cinema studies), he remembers some of his classmates disparaging L.A. “without basis.” Wanting to defend his city, he returned home in 1997 and worked for the Los Angeles Conservancy, primarily seeking to save a local library. His position there was in youth outreach as well as architectural preservation, and he learned a great deal on the job. But looking forward, he wanted to learn more and earn a graduate degree in historic preservation.
Adam entered George Washington University to study with Richard Longstreth, a well-known expert in preservation. Adam describes him as, “an East Coast professor who loves the west.” Adam was one of four in the class — “Me and three women (and) I married one them.” While obtaining his MS in preservation, Adam came to admire Mid-Century Modernism, something very different than the Los Angeles focus on the 20th century design. At the LA Conservancy he presented a program titled “The ‘60s Turn 50”, highlighting modernist developments. Next spring at CAC he will present a program titled “1969: A Year in the Life of the City”, focusing on the buildings and culture of Chicago 50 years ago.
After graduation, Adam moved to New York City, first working in Brooklyn and then the upper West Side. But he and his wife, whose family lives in nearby Madison, changed course, feeling an “expiration date” on New York City, and they moved to the Midwest.
“Chicago is the best place for architectural education,” he proclaims. He was already familiar with Chicago and CAC as he attended the AAO conferences when he worked in Los Angeles. His work in Chicago began with Julia Bachrach, formerly the Chicago Park District historian and now a consultant. Adam and Bachrach worked on an inventory of all the properties adjoining Lake Shore Drive from Grand Avenue to Hollywood. Bachrach is still working on the project, a study required before the upcoming Lake Shore Drive road work starts. He also researched Jackson Park and South Shore properties in preparation for the Obama Presidential Center.
“Chicago is a huge city with lots of buildings we haven’t even touched yet,” Adam says about his vision for his new job. He advocates inclusivity, “even buildings that are not pretty.” In working on CAC exhibitions, he says the team is curating the galleries with a goal to create as broad an appeal as possible for appreciation of design and Chicago” He “bristles at jargon,” noting that “architecture is something everyone experiences” and should be able to understand.
Adam calls CAC docents, “the best docent corps anywhere,” lauding their efforts as “tremendous.” Recognizing that docents have experiences different from his own, he notes, “I know about big, broad American themes vs. docents’ information on Chicago. I want to learn from them.” He is also looking to empower architecture, to make people feel comfortable in learning about the built environment.
For Chicagoans, there is always something to learn about. Adams says,“It is a community of practice. Each person is responsible to learn and care about where you are from.”
Welcome to the community, Adam. We’re sure you’ll like it here.