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
The Brooklyn Children's Museum is a children's museum in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Founded in 1899, it is the first children's museum in the United States – and according to some, the first one worldwide. It ...
. Schlossberg continues to work in the field and publishes often on the subject. He is the husband of
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as th ...
, daughter of
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
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
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction with ...
by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, serving until 2013.
Early life
Schlossberg was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to an
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
family. Both his parents—Alfred I. Schlossberg and Mae Hirsch—were children of
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
immigrants. Alfred founded a textile-manufacturing business and was president of the
Park East Synagogue
Park East Synagogue is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in New York City.
Building
The building was built in 1889–1890. The architects were Schneider and Herter, who designed numerous tenements on New York's Lower East Side as ...
on New York's
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
, where Ed studied
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
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
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded by the Church of England in 1754 as King's ...
in 1967.
He was a classmate of
New York City Schools Chancellor and
United States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general.
The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...
Joel Klein
Joel Irwin Klein (born October 25, 1946) is an American lawyer and school superintendent. He was the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States, serving more than 1.1 million st ...
. He also received his masters and doctoral degrees from
Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan ...
.
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.
[Jeffery Hogrefe]
"The family man"
'' New York, April 30, 2001.[Evgenia Peretz]
"Interactive Man"
'' Vanity Fair'', December 2007. 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
[Brad Wieners]
"Making Headlines in 10,000-Point Type"
''Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
'', December 2002.
*Sony Plaza and Sony Wonder Technology Lab
*Time Warner Home to the Future installation
[Rebecca Mead]
"Cable Guy"
''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', January 22, 2007.
*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
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
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
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as th ...
on July 19, 1986, his 41st birthday.
They have three children, all born in New York:
*
Rose Schlossberg
Rose Kennedy Schlossberg (born June 25, 1988) is an American actress, the oldest child of Caroline Kennedy, and first-born grandchild of John F. Kennedy. She is a 2010 graduate of Harvard University. Schlossberg has been described as a look-ali ...
(born June 25, 1988)
*
Tatiana Schlossberg
Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg (born May 5, 1990) is an American journalist and author. She is a daughter of Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador to Australia, and a granddaughter of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. A reporter ...
(born May 5, 1990)
*
Jack Schlossberg
John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg (born January 19, 1993) is an American lawyer and son of U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy. He is the only grandson of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, and former first lady ...
(born January 19, 1993)
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
ESI Design*
330 Hudson
330 Hudson is a building located at 330 Hudson Street, in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Plans for developing the building began in 2011 when landlord Trinity Real Estate signed a 99-year lease agreement with Beac ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlossberg, Edwin
American designers
Bouvier family
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Jewish American writers
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Kennedy family
Living people
Writers from New York City
1945 births
New York (state) Democrats
Birch Wathen Lenox School alumni