Barton Rubenstein had a picture-perfect childhood - a loving family, idyllic summers at the beach, and a particularly close kinship with his progressive, charismatic, and devoted mom. When she died after a brutal five-year battle with cancer, Barton, just 18, found himself confronted by unbearable heartbreak. He was also saddened that his mother had not realized many of her dreams and petrified he could meet the same fate. This fear sent him headlong into a life of unexpected adventures and achievements, feeling that tomorrow could be too late.
Rubenstein is the author of numerous scientific articles, including in Science and Optical Society of America. As a public artist, with a focus on water and wind kinetic sculpture, he has over 100 commissions worldwide, spanning a career of nearly 30 years. As an environmental activist and cofounder of the Mother Earth Project, he has used his art and that of others to activate sustainable communities in over 80 countries, both raising awareness and demanding better climate laws.
Author Biography:
Dr. Barton Rubenstein is a former neuroscientist and sleep researcher. He conducted research and completed his PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, publishing numerous scientific papers including in the Journal of Science. Rubenstein's research has also been cited in Scientific American and his sleep research has been shown as video content on American Airlines flights. Rubenstein has been a sculptor and public artist for the last 30 years, having completed over 100 commissions worldwide. His portfolio includes the biennially presented Portrait of a Nation Award for the Smithsonian Institution, awarded to Americans who have made a substantial contribution to our nation, including past recipients Aretha Franklin, Maya Lin, Hank Aaron, Earth Wind and Fire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Spike Lee, Serena and Venus Williams, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Madeleine Albright. Rubenstein creates large-scale water and wind kinetic sculptures for public and private spaces including universities, cities and residences, including the official residence of the Vice President of the United States. Rubenstein's tallest piece is a 30' high sculpture, "Skybound," in front of the Cincinnati Art Museum. In 2005-2007, Rubenstein was invited to be a member of a National Academy of Sciences Committee to redesign the $100 bill. His recommendation to include a blue ribbon to avert counterfeiting was subsequently introduced into the new design at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. In 2015, Rubenstein's family cofounded the Mother Earth Project. The physical footprint of his family's project is the Mother Earth Sculpture, a monumental 15' high sculpture that Rubenstein designed with the likeness of the human profile, namely his mother, the subject and inspiration of his memoir. It is now in countries worldwide, including Washington, DC, Jerusalem, Israel, Guilin, China, Jaipur, India, Yaound�, Cameroon, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Bonn, Germany. These sculptures are intentionally located at sites where various sustainability events and climate strikes take place. The Mother Earth Project has a following of over a hundred thousand worldwide, including partnerships with youth climate activists of Greta Thunberg's Friday For Future movement, the Girl Scouts of America, and the Citizens Climate International, and is a partner with the United Nations Environment Programme. Locally, Rubenstein is the Environment Committee Chair in his hometown of Somerset, MD, where he has led initiatives to ban pesticides on lawns, to ban gas powered leaf blowers in his town as well as the surrounding Montgomery County and State of Maryland, to install town solar panels, LED street lights, and to start a compost program for all its residents, to name a few. Rubenstein has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC and the Creativity Award from Moment Magazine. www.RubensteinStudios.comwww.MotherEarthProject.org
