Category Archives: Thomas Jefferson

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.

Intercollegiate Studies Institute Interview of Me

I was glad to sit down with Johnny Burtka, president and CEO of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), for an interview about my work at the National Civic Art Society. I discussed how beauty, art, and architecture shape a flourishing … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, civic architecture, classical architecture, democracy, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, Modernism, monuments, National World War I Memorial, public talks, Thomas Jefferson, United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

My Essay “Make America Beautiful Again”

On August 21, 2024, TomKlingenstein.com published an essay by me on beauty, virtue, and American classical architecture titled “Make America Beautiful Again.” Senator Marco Rubio called it a “must read piece.” To quote: The Victorian art critic John Ruskin thought … Continue reading

Posted in Americans' Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings, architecture, beauty, Brutalism, civic architecture, classical architecture, classicism, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, democracy, Edmund Burke, federal architecture, federal architecture legislation, John Ruskin, publications, Rem Koolhass, Robert Penn Warren, Thomas Jefferson | Leave a comment

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

We Must Preserve the Founders’ Classical Vision for Our Nation’s Capital

Below is an essay I published in Public Discourse last month. It is an adaptation of the June 1, 2012 testimony I delivered before the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands on “The Future of the … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, beauty, civic architecture, classicism, congressional testimony, Eisenhower Memorial, Frank Lloyd Wright, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, historic preservation, Jefferson Memorial, Joseph Hudnut, L'Enfant Plan, Lincoln Memorial, McMillan Plan, Modernism, National Civic Art Society, National Gallery of Art, National Mall, National Park Service, Spirit of the Times, Thomas Jefferson, uncategorized, Washington, D.C. | Leave a comment

Speaking in Front of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at UVA 2/1

On Friday February 2, 2013, I’ll be giving a talk about Frank Gehry’s design for the planned Eisenhower Memorial to the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at the University of Virginia. The society, which claims to be the “oldest continuously … Continue reading

Posted in civic architecture, democracy, Eisenhower Memorial, Frank Gehry, Spirit of the Times, Thomas Jefferson | Leave a comment