Teaching Artist Spotlight: Adam Gottlieb

Adam Gottlieb performing with his band, Adam Gottlieb & OneLove.

From a young age, 34-year-old Adam Gottlieb always saw themself as a poet. Their journey began in high school, when they became involved with the Youth Poetry Slam Festival organized by Young Chicago Authors.

“I realized early on that poetry, especially when combined with spoken word, can be a powerful tool,” Adam said. “I’ve seen how it can unite people and break down the barriers that have long divided us as a society.”

Adam, who has been with Olive Tree Arts Network for 12 years, has been profoundly impacted by the events of October 7, 2023, and the ensuing conflict in the Middle East. The implications for their students—who come from Jewish, Muslim and Christian schools—are especially significant.

“We need to ensure we’re creating opportunities for real, authentic moments where people, especially young people, can truly see and connect with one another,” said Adam, now serving as Olive Tree’s curriculum developer. “As teaching artists, we use the arts as a way to foster those conversations and help with the healing process.”

Adam cites a project they did last year called the PoeTree, a visual arts project that came together from brainstorming sessions with the curriculum team. The students made collages on “leaves” cut out from construction paper which were then attached to the life-size tree. The tree was a metaphor for our interfaith community, made up of smaller parts that come together to form the whole.   

“As teaching artists, we navigate a wide range of cultural spaces and the PoeTree is a great example as to how our curriculum is designed to introduce young people to different faiths. Our goal is to help them learn about and appreciate each other’s cultures and religious beliefs, fostering mutual respect,” Adam explained. “In light of the current conflict in the Middle East, we believe our program is more crucial than ever.”

A West Rogers Park native, Adam studied poetry, education and comparative religion at Hampshire College in western Massachusetts. For the past ten years, Adam has been combining their poetry with their love of music to create reggae, blue, folk funk and spiritual songs with their band, Adam Gottlieb and OneLove. Their work weaves together diverse strands of culture, spiritual, musical and political roots. Adam sees interfaith work as a core part of a lifelong journey. 

"I’m proud of the work we do at Olive Tree Arts Network. The curriculum we've developed over the years proves that our mission goes far beyond just art," said Adam. "It’s not art for art’s sake—it’s about using art as a tool to build peace, empathy and understanding."

To see more of Adam’s work, visit their website.