Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Rubenstein.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a multimedia designer, design educator, and art supporter. I teach Design Fundamentals and Exhibition Design at Boston University, and I also run a freelance design practice, Marks + Spaces, where I provide design and project management for exhibition, environmental/experience, and identity projects. Right now, I am working on designing a collection of designed objects. I have not worked in this way–intuitively rather than directed on a project–since graduate school. I have an MFA in interior architecture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and have spent the last 15 years working as a design consultant for museums and businesses. Earlier this summer, I took a laser cutting class at the SMFA with Jennaca Davies. The work lit me up creatively, in a way I haven’t felt since before I had children. I am not yet entirely sure what the final products will be, but I do know I cannot wait to get back into my studio.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am also a mother of two young children. I work part-time and am with my kids part-time. I am incredibly grateful to have my hands in many pots, but sometimes I deeply desire the clarity and commitment of full-time work or full-time motherhood. I turned 40 this year, a good time as any to take stock and assess, and I am trying to be really intentional with how I spend my time these days.
I think it’s tricky for many people to figure out who they are and how they want to spend their time here on earth. In my early twenties, I discovered I found great joy in creating beautiful or interesting spaces that bring people together. I prefer when the projects involve a level of civic engagement or tackle difficult stories with multiple perspectives. My career in exhibition design has been a beautiful marriage of these things. However, the travel requirements were difficult for me as a mother of young children, so I decided to focus my energies locally in Boston. That’s the beauty of struggle, you push up against it and it forces you to pivot and find a better fit. As I’ve gotten older, the format for doing this kind of work has changed for me, but the motivating forces have stayed the same.
Please tell us about Marks + Spaces.
Through Marks + Spaces I have designed and project managed exhibits for clients such as Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Washington State, Miami Science Museum, and MetLife, and worked on identity projects for wellness and lifestyle companies. Prior to working independently, I got my start in exhibit design at Experience Design and designed and managed a great range of museum projects for institutions such as Denver Art Museum, Puget Sound Navy Museum, the Louisiana State Museum, the Broad Institute, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, to name a few. Much of my exhibition design work has focused on using multimedia installations to communicate multiple perspectives and tapping audience participation in some capacity.
As an educator, I am particularly interested in experiential learning opportunities for my students. I regularly get my students out of the classroom and into museums, design studios, and client opportunities. So much can be learned about design when it is applied. Generating design concepts is a beautiful and fun endeavor, but when students are given real world constraints to address and are given permission to take their ideas all the way, that’s when the work becomes transformative.
This year my exhibition design class ran a client project with BUild Lab, BU’s innovation think tank space. Students were asked to propose designs for an entrance hallway, but were given more prominent space in the Lab once the client saw the depth of their designs. By the end of the semester, three students’ designs were greenlit and funded for production. Facilitating student opportunities like these is incredibly gratifying work.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Aspen, CO in 1983, running in a field of wildflowers and giant bubbles with my mom, her friend, and her friend’s son. I was 5 and we were there for a psychotherapy conference. The first time, of many, I have fallen in love with the mountains.
I had actually prepared an answer for another question, but am happy this memory came back to me. It’s been a long time since I have thought of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: marksandspaces.com
- Email: jessierubenstein@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Caitlin Cunningham
Jennifer + Alan Houghtaling, Shanti Yoga
Clore Wine and Culinary Center, Boston Productions
Living with Hurricanes, Katrina and Beyond, Experience Design
Sarah Cooper Lucerto, BU CFA/Build Lab
Sharifa Aljoghaiman, BU CFA/Build Lab
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