Category Archives: civic architecture

I am Justin Shubow

President of the National Civic Art Society, a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that promotes the classical and humanistic tradition in public art and architecture. Eleventh Chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency comprising seven presidential appointees who are the aesthetic guardians of Washington.

Interviewed on Liberty Law Talk Podcast

Liberty Law Talk, a podcast of Law & Liberty, featured an interview of National Civic Art Society President Justin Shubow in which he talks about the influence of civic architecture on body politic, the role of the U.S. Commission of … Continue reading

Posted in American Institute of Architects (AIA), Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, architecture, beauty, Brutalism, civic architecture, classicism, courthouses, deconstructionism, deconstructivism, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, General Services Administration, George Washington, GSA's Design Excellence Program, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, Harris Poll, Jefferson Memorial, Modernism, monuments, National Civic Art Society, sculpture, Thom Mayne, Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, ugliness, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Interviewed on DC EKG Podcast

A show about the “what and why” of Washington, the DC EKG podcast featured an hour-long interview of me. The show is hosted by Joe Grogan, former director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council under President Trump, and Eric Ueland, former director of … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, architecture, beauty, civic architecture, courthouses, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, General Services Administration, GSA's Design Excellence Program, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, Harris Poll, Modernism, National Civic Art Society, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, Walter Gropius | Leave a comment

Speaking at the International Making Cities Livable Conference in England

In October 2023, I had the pleasure of delivering a talk on “Ordinary People’s Aesthetic Preferences in Architecture” at the International Making Cities Livable Conference in Dorchester, England. I also participated in a discussion with George Ferguson, former mayor of … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, civic architecture, federal architecture, Harris Poll, public talks, uncategorized | Leave a comment

Epoch Times Interview of Me

The February 2, 2021 issue of The Epoch Times features an extensive interview of me. It is titled “Making America’s Civic Architecture Great Again,” and you can read it here HERE. The interview begins: “Whenever it is proposed to prepare … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, beauty, civic architecture, federal architecture, GSA's Design Excellence Program, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, National Civic Art Society, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Video of My Talk at AEI Regarding the Draft Executive Order on Federal Architecture

On October 19, 2020, I participated in a panel hosted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) regarding the draft Executive Order regarding federal architecture. To adapt AEI’s summary of the event: AEI’s Gary J. Schmitt noted that Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s … Continue reading

Posted in American Enterprise Institute, civic architecture, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, federal architecture, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, National Civic Art Society, uncategorized | Leave a comment

Speaking at AEI About the Executive Order on Federal Architecture – Oct. 19

In February, NPR and other news outlets reported on a leaked draft of an Executive Order titled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again.” According to those reports, President Trump is considering signing the Order, which would re-orient federal architecture in a classical and traditional direction. At present, federal architecture is … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, civic architecture, federal architecture | Leave a comment

A Celebration of Bruce Cole and His Book “Art from the Swamp”

The National Civic Art Society, along with the Ethics and Public Policy Center and Encounter Books, co-sponsored a panel discussion in celebration of Bruce Cole and his posthumously published book Art from the Swamp: How Washington Bureaucrats Squander Millions on … Continue reading

Posted in Bruce Cole, Catesby Leigh, civic architecture, Eisenhower Memorial, National Civic Art Society, Roger Kimball | Leave a comment

RealClearPolitics Profile of the National Civic Art Society

People Who Hate the Eisenhower Memorial By Matthew Disler – July 19, 2015 RealClearPolitics Tourists milled around the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial last Friday, snapping photos in front of the 30-foot tall granite statue of the civil rights leader … Continue reading

Posted in civic architecture, classicism, congressional testimony, Eisenhower Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Jr. Memorial, Modernism, monuments, National Capital Planning Commission, National Civic Art Society, World War II Memorial | Leave a comment

Speaking in NYC About Federal Architecture on Dec. 17

On December 17 at the National Arts Club in New York, I’m going to be speaking about federal architecture. Here’s the description from the club’s bulletin: Justin Shubow: The Architecture of Democracy Wednesday, December 17, 8:00 PM The General Services … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, civic architecture, classicism, courthouses, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, deconstructionism, deconstructivism, federal architecture, GSA's Design Excellence Program, Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, HBRA Architects, Morphosis, National Civic Art Society, Pericles, public talks, Thom Mayne, Thomas Beeby | Leave a comment