Jeff’s Writing

Women's March, 2017, Woman with sign that reads: "It's not that we lost. It's what we lost and to whom."

Washington, DC Women’s March, January 21, 2017

I’m inquisitive. Whenever I start thinking about something, I usually end up with something to say. I’m less interested in hearing myself talk and more interested in poking, prodding, instigating, and most importantly, participating in conversations about new ideas.

Not everything new is good, and there are commercial and government forces at play whenever “the next best thing” morphs into something that generates capital: monetary, cultural, or political. We live in a time when “something new” seems to appear out of nowhere almost every day. So I am both excited and cautious about this process.

My writing has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian Magazine. I am also an ongoing contributor to ExtraNewsfeed. I’m interested in the intersections of creativity, culture, and society.

With every poster I design, I write an essay to accompany it. Since my posters deal with political and social issues, my writing mirrors those subjects. I publish these on Medium. I am also the author of Uneventful: The Rise of Photography, published by MuseumsEtc and available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Walmart (Walmart?), and other fine book stores. You can also read it here. Interested in how society views artists, I have also written on the evolution of artist stereotypes from prehistoric times to the present.

Before retiring in 2018, I was a technologist at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As we transitioned from a traditional bricks-and-mortar institution to one also interested in engaging our visitors on the internet, I penned several articles on how that transition affected our relationships with our audiences and co-workers. In 2005, as part of our move online, I started the Smithsonian’s first blog, Eye Level.

Now retired, I still like to immerse myself in as many data points as I can. I’m an avid “Letters to the Editor” writer. When I feel compelled to counter a politician’s rhetoric, point out hyperbole, or advocate for a local or national issue, I write to The Washington Post. And every so often, publications write about me or my work.

My essays focus on four areas of interest. The links below will take you to a sampling of each you might find interesting.