I play a curator, the most American part you can think of. My work is to protect the Declaration of Independence. I work at the National Archives in Washington.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
On a very personal level, I have fond memories of spending a lot of time in the Library of Congress working on my collection of poems 'Native Guard.' I was there over a summer doing research in the archives and then writing in the reading room at the Jefferson building.
I have made sense of my life by developing an ability to analyze Mainstream American Cultural Artifacts.
The privilege I've had as a curator is not just the discovery of new works... but what I've discovered about myself and what I can offer in the space of an exhibition - to talk about beauty, to talk about power, to talk about ourselves, and to talk and speak to each other.
I have spent many years working in education and media, from hosting documentaries to being a spokesperson for Discovery Education to revolutionizing youth environmental service through my non-profit, EarthEcho International.
As a regent, I hope to bring that important perspective of a typical family visitor in combination with my background as a Member of Congress and a proponent of the Smithsonian's efforts to reach all Americans.
I work on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees to keep us safe at home and strong in the world.
I have a strong impulse to protect history and time and the lineage of events.
I'm a journalist and author. I make my living by finding things out and writing about them.
I'm a documentary image maker, still and moving, because keeping the real world on the agenda is really important at a time when we're increasingly disconnected from parts of the world on whom we depend.
I'm an artist and a journalist. I travel around the world very often for 'Vice Magazine,' and I draw and I write about prisons, about conflict zones.