Edwin Schlossberg

Edwin Schlossberg
Member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
In office
March 31, 2011 – September 19, 2013
President Barack Obama
Personal details
Born July 19, 1945
New York City, U.S.
Spouse
​
​
(m.  1986; sep. 2015)​
Children Rose, Tatiana, and Jack
Relatives See Kennedy Family
Alma mater Columbia University (BA, MA, PhD)
Occupation Designer, author, artist
Awards U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (2012)

Edwin Arthur Schlossberg (born July 19, 1945) is an American designer, author, and artist. He specializes in designing interactive experiences, beginning in 1977 with the first hands-on learning environment in the U.S. for the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Schlossberg continues to work in the field and publishes often on the subject. He is the husband of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He has published eleven books, including Einstein and Beckett and Interactive Excellence: Defining and Developing New Standards for the Twenty-first Century. His artwork has been presented in many solo shows and museum exhibits. In 2011, he was appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Barack Obama, serving until 2013.

Early life

Schlossberg was born in New York City to an Orthodox Jewish family. Both his parents—Alfred I. Schlossberg and Mae Hirsch—were children of Ukrainian immigrants. Alfred founded a textile-manufacturing business and was president of the Park East Synagogue on New York's Upper East Side, where Ed studied Hebrew and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah.

Education

Schlossberg attended New York's PS 166 and graduated from the Birch Wathen School and Columbia College of Columbia University in 1967. He was a classmate of New York City Schools Chancellor and United States Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein. He also received his masters and doctoral degrees from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Career

Schlossberg's multi-disciplinary design firm, ESI Design, is based on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It has produced award-winning interactive experiences for institutional and corporate clients. Signature projects include:

  • Terrell Place, Washington, D.C.
  • Barclays Center Media Experience, Brooklyn, NY
  • Best Buy – Concept Stores
  • Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
  • Ellis Island – American Family Immigration History Center
  • Playa Vista
  • Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
  • Reuters Spectacular at 3 Times Square
  • Sony Plaza and Sony Wonder Technology Lab
  • Time Warner Home to the Future installation
  • World Financial Center Breezeway Media Walls
  • World Trade Center and World Financial Center Informational Kiosks

Schlossberg has been singled out as a "leader in interactive design" by Wired magazine.

Schlossberg's plans for a redesign of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland received public attention when ESI was engaged to lead the project in 2007, but the Hall of Fame ultimately chose a different design because of cost considerations.

Personal life

Schlossberg married attorney Caroline Kennedy on July 19, 1986, his 41st birthday. They have three children, all born in New York:

Bibliography

  • Schlossberg, Edwin (1973). Einstein and Beckett; a record of an imaginary discussion with Albert Einstein and Samuel Beckett. New York. ISBN 0825630118.{{}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Schlossberg, Edwin (1977). The philosopher's game: match your wits against the 100 greatest thinkers of all time. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312604629.
  • Fuller, R.B.; Schlossberg, E. (1977). Tetrascroll. Universal Limited Art Editions.
  • Schlossberg, Edwin (1985). The pirated edition of Stevens and Bohr: a record of correspondence between Wallace Stevens and Niels Bohr and journals written during that correspendence. London; Zurich: Princelet Editions. ISBN 0862980143.