Jason Schupbach is the Dean of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University. He was formerly the Director of the Design School at Arizona State University, the largest and most comprehensive design school in the United States. In this position, he started the ambitious ReDesign.School project to reinvent design education for the 21st century, and is a key advisor to ASU on diverse projects such as the Center for Creativity and place, Roden Crater, the Creative Futures Lab, and ASU's Los Angeles downtown home. Previous to this position he was Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Programs for the National Endowment for the Arts, where he oversaw all design and creative placemaking grantmaking and partnerships, including Our Town and Design Art Works grants, the Mayor’s Institute on City Design, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, and the NEA's Federal agency collaborations. Previously, Jason served Governor Patrick of Massachusetts as the Creative Economy Director, tasked with growing creative and tech businesses in the state. He formerly was the Director of ArtistLink, a Ford Foundation funded initiative to stabilize and revitalize communities through the creation of affordable space and innovative environments for creatives. He has also worked for the Mayor of Chicago and New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. He has written extensively on the role of arts and design in making better communities, and his writing has been featured as a Best Idea of the Day by the Aspen Institute.
Masters in City Planning/Urban Design Certificate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology '03
B.S. in Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill '97
Schupbach, J. (2021) Connecting Creatives. Design Intelligence Quarterly Winter 2021, LeFevre, M. Ed, Peachtree Corners, GA.
Schupbach, J. (2020) The Placemaking Handbook Book. History of Placemaking Book Chapter Introduction. Routledge. London, UK.
Multiple blog posts for the National Endowment for the Arts ‘Art Works’ blog. Retrieve at https://www.arts.gov/art-works/search?keys=Jason+Schupbach
Schupbach, J. (2016) Design Matters. Retrieved from the U.S. Department of State at Habitat III website https://medium.com/us-at-habitatiii.
Schupbach, J. (2016) Creative Placemaking: The Role of Arts in Strengthening Community Infrastructure. Retrieved from The U.S. 20/20 Habitat Report (Ross, L. ed.) at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Habitat-III-National-Report.pdf.
Schupbach, J. and Smith, C. (2016) “OPPORTUNITY: Careers in Social Impact Design.” Leap Dialogues: Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation. Amatullo, M. Ed. Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design. Pasadena, CA.
Schupbach, J. (2015) “Why Design Matters.” The Just City Essays. Cohen, A., Griffin, J., Maddox, d. Eds. Next City, Inc. Philadelphia, PA
Schupbach, J. (2015) Creative Placemaking: Putting the Arts to work for More Equitable Communities. Retrieved from Associated Grant Makers blog at http://www.agmconnect.org/in-philanthropy/creative-placemaking-putting-arts-work-more-equitable-communities.
Schupbach, J. (2015) “Artists for Humanity.” Designed for the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World. Green, J. Ed. Princeton Architectural Press. Princeton, NJ.
Schupbach, J. (2015) Creative Placemaking: Putting the Arts to work for Economic Development. The IEDC Economic Development Journal Vol. 14, No. 4. Washington, D.C.
Schupbach, J. (2015) Building Resilience Through Community Engagement: The Fargo Project. Retrieved from 100 Resilient Cities blog at http://www.100resilientcities.org/blog/entry/building-resilience-through-community-engagement-the-fargo-project#/-_/.
Schupbach, J. (2015) Five Ways to Engage the Arts in Resilience. Retrieved from 100 Resilient Cities blog at http://www.100resilientcities.org/blog/entry/five-ways-to-engage-the-arts-in-resilience#/-_/.
Schupbach, J. (2015) Putting the Arts to Work for City Resilience: Creative Placemaking. Retrieved from 100 Resilient Cities blog at http://www.100resilientcities.org/blog/entry/putting-the-arts-to-work-for-city-resilience-creative-placemaking#/-_/.
Chu, J. and Schupbach, J. (2014) “Our Town: Supporting the Arts in Communities Across America.” Community Development Investment Review. Callanan, L., Galloway, I. Eds. San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank. San Francisco, CA.
Moran, J., Schupbach, J., Spearman, C. and Reut, J. (2014) Beyond the Building: Performing Arts and Transforming Place. National Endowment for the Arts. Washington, D.C.
Schupbach, J., Turner, L., and Steinberg, M. (2013) “Q & A with Jason Schupbach.” Design Management Review, 24. Boston, MA.
Schupbach, J. (2012) “Defining Creative Placemaking: A Talk with Ann Markusen and Anne Gadwa Nicodemus.” NEA Arts, 3. National Endowment for the Arts. Washington, D.C.