Wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend, Jill Levinson wears many hats in her busy life. She even donned a hard hat for our recent tour of MOXI: The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation.
The board president of MOXI, Santa Barbara’s long-awaited new children’s museum, Levinson and her husband, attorney Neil Levinson, are raising their three children in Montecito, close to a wide circle of family and friends.
The Santa Barbara native was born at Cottage Hospital and, as the daughter of civic leaders Irma and Morrie Jurkowitz, she is no stranger to philanthropy. Still, the practice of giving was not instilled in her and her siblings through lectures.
| Good for Santa Barbara | Complete Series Index |
“We learned by example,” she said, referring to her parents. “My husband and I are modeling that same behavior with our children.”
Her example as one of Santa Barbara’s younger generation of philanthropists has included volunteering and leadership as a trustee of Crane Country Day School, Lotusland, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care (along with her husband), All Saints By-the-Sea Parish School, Storyteller Children’s Center and Congregation B’nai B’rith.
Following her graduation from Stanford University, Levinson worked for 16 years as a publicist and producer in the entertainment industry in San Francisco, most notably with Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm and her own production company, Big Fish Entertainment.
While working at Skywalker Ranch in Marin, she was among the handful of pre-production crew members who helped create Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, the first installment in George Lucas’ famed Star Wars prequel trilogy.
As Levinson told Noozhawk, taking a project from conception to completion is definitely her love and in her wheelhouse.
The idea for a Santa Barbara children’s museum had been on her wish list for years. One day, while discussing the idea with her mother and a friend, Anne Towbes, she learned that Susan Tarlow was leading a group of women with the same desire. She joined the cause in 2008.
After years of planning and process, the landmark building is nearing completion at 125 State St. Levinson and Noelle and Dick Wolf have served as honorary campaign co-chairs and spearheading the fundraising for the $25 million project.
Although my tour required some imagination as exhibits are still being installed, the visit was fantastic. Inside and out, the designers of the 17,000-square-foot museums have thought of everything — including rooftop venues for private events and million-dollar views of the mountains and ocean.
Levinson was excited about the progress of the project, which is expected to open to the public early next year. Construction is wrapping up, and the installation of more than 70 exhibits is underway, she said.
“We are seeking our final $2 million for the capital campaign with the ambitious goal of completing it by the time the museum opens, early in 2017,” she said.
Levinson said limited sponsorship and naming opportunities remain in the building, but gifts of any amount are welcome.
Click here for more information about MOXI, or contact the organization at info@moxi.org or 805.708.2282. Click here to make an online donation.
| Good for Santa Barbara | Complete Series Index |
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at judyforeman@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.
