Jason Schupbach, director of design and creative placemaking programs at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), announced today in an email that he is leaving his post after seven years with the agency effective June 9. This comes just one month after President Donald Trump called for the elimination of the agency in his 2018 budget proposal.
"It has been such an honor to serve the country from this role," Schumpbach wrote in the email. "My time here at the NEA has been marked by engagement with remarkable, generous minds both inside and outside of the agency, and there's simply no way for me to thank you for what we have accomplished together."
During his time with the NEA, Schupbach oversaw grant and partnership programs including Our Town and Art Works grants, the Mayors' Institute on City Design, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, and was integral in the creation of the first-ever federal report on industrial design. Previously, Schupbach was the creative industry director for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. He is a graduate of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and MIT's Master in City Planning program.
As of July 3, Schupbach will begin his next role as the director of the Design School at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University (ASU). “We’re eager to have a leader like Jason, who can really drive design and design thinking across the university and in our communities and cities,” said Mark Searle, executive vice president and university provost at ASU, in a press release. “His creative insights, combined with his commitment to collaboration with tech and creative businesses, government and education, will advance the university’s connections with national and international partners in interdisciplinary research, community development and new models for teaching.”
Schupbach concluded his message by writing, "I know we will all continue to work together to make America a better place for all of its residents. I'm not giving up and neither should you."
The NEA—which was chartered by Congress in 1965 to offer support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence—has published a statement on President Trump's budget proposal announcement, and includes the following disclaimer on program pages:
The President’s FY 2018 budget blueprint proposes the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts. With that said, our FY 2017 operations remain unchanged. We continue to make FY 2017 grant awards and will continue to honor all obligated grant funds made to date. In addition, we will continue to accept grant applications for FY 2018 at our usual deadlines. The President’s budget request is a first step in a very long budget process. The agency continues to operate as usual and will do so until a new budget is enacted by Congress.
