Jen Masengarb Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Copenhagen, Denmark

At the Danish Architecture Center, I'm responsible for our strategic initiatives for increasing international tour visitors in a newly-opened 32,000 sf center, Denmark's meeting point for architecture and urban design. I head up the operational, financial, educational, and interpretive leadership for our tours and a growing team of guides and exhibition hosts. As part of the leadership team developing a major 2020 exhibition, I serve as a content advisor in interpreting Danish historic and contemporary architecture for international visitors. I'm also the public voice of DAC as the host of 'Let's Talk Architecture' podcast, interviewing some of the world's leading architects, engineers, and designers.

Us

As the Chicago Architecture Center's architectural historian, I served as a recurring host for three seasons and 6 episodes on the documentary series, 'Impossible Engineering' featured on Discovery Science channel. The show explored contemporary engineering marvels and traced the early milestones that made them possible. With the UK production team from Twofour, I traveled around the US explaining historical innovations in architecture, infrastructure, and engineering. Episodes include:+ Skyscraper of the Future (2015)+ World's Fastest Train (2015)+ Ultimate Football Stadium (2016)+ The Glass Skyscraper (2016)+ The Invincible Tower (2017)+ Mega Railway (2017)

Chicago

Through an 18-year tenure, I served five years as the Chicago Architecture Center's primary subject matter expert for the public by curating exhibitions, lecturing, and writing and editing publications. I defined and directed CAC's content and interpretive focus across departments and teams in education, public programs, exhibitions, publications, and tours.HIGHLIGHTS:+ Served on CAC’s leadership team in the visioning, designing, planning, content development, and fundraising for a new 15,000 sf center of interactive exhibitions, multimedia platforms, and interpretive tours.+ Wrote successful grants, managed budgets, and led staff in the development of innovative projects – both digital and place-based – totaling more than $4M from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as well as leading corporate and institutional donors.+ Redesigned the curriculum and led annual 15-week training for CAC’s nationally-recognized volunteer docent program, training over 500 volunteer docents to interpret Chicago’s historic and contemporary architecture for the public.+ Served as Program Director for CAC's National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) Landmarks of American History and Culture Teacher Workshops with 560 educators from across the country.+ Regularly appeared as CAC’s media voice for radio and TV and created a new collaboration with WBEZ Chicago Public Radio to report on architectural stories.

Chicago, Il

+ Led the creation of www.discoverdesign.org, CAF’s award-winning digital learning tool connecting teens, teachers, and architects across the country for project-based learning in architecture; over 8,000 registered users. [Awarded a 2013 National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects]+ Directed all print and digital curricular resources to support in-school, after-school, and digital learning for K–12 students and teachers+ Developed and conducted professional development workshops for hundreds of K-12 teachers demonstrating ways to use the built environment as a dynamic tool for teaching core academic subjects

Chicago, Il

+ Authored "The Architecture Handbook: A Student Guide to Understanding Buildings," the first high school architecture textbook and teacher guide in the nation; 300 pages, over 4,000 copies used across the US [Awarded a 2009 National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects]+ Authored "Schoolyards to Skylines: Teaching with Chicago's Amazing Architecture," an K-8 teacher resource text; 500 pages, over 3,000 copies used across the US [Awarded a 2005 National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects]+ Co-curated Chicago's first major exhibition on 1933-1934 Century of Progress World’s Fair

Newport, Rhode Island

Manistee, Mi

Tisovec, Slovak Republic

Master Of Architectural History, Historic Preservation

Activities and Societies: Raven Society; Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership and Honor Society

Bachelor Of Architecture

Activities and Societies: Tau Sigma Delta, Honor Society in Architecture and Allied Arts

Bachelor Of Arts In American History