Jamie Katz

Jamie Katz

 

Jamie Katz is a longtime Smithsonian contributor and has held senior editorial positions at People, Vibe, Latina and the award-winning alumni magazine Columbia College Today, which he edited for many years. He was a contributing writer to LIFE: World War II: History’s Greatest Conflict in Pictures, edited by Richard B. Stolley (Bulfinch Press, 2001).

Eleanor Roosevelt talks to a child at the ceremonies inaugurating the slum clearance in Detroit, Michigan.

Women Who Shaped History

Why Eleanor Roosevelt's Example Matters More Than Ever

A new biography shows how decency, determination and generosity of heart can change the world

One of the Last Living Manhattan Project Scientists Looks Back at the Atomic Bomb Tests

Peter Lax was just a teenager when he went to Los Alamos to join the team that developed the deadly weapon

"Ray's Rock" on Omaha Beach, where medic Ray Lambert was part of the first wave during D-Day

One of the Few Surviving Heroes of D-Day Shares His Story

Army medic Ray Lambert, now 98, landed with the first assault wave on Omaha Beach. Seventy-five years later, he could be the last man standing

Abraham Lincoln Rocks in Tijuana

Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico

As a young Congressman and later as the nation’s leader, the first Republican president proved to be a true friend to America’s neighbor to the south

In Portrait of Nan, Wood highlighted his sister’s femininity.

Meet Grant Wood’s Sister, the Woman Made Famous by “American Gothic”

The painter gave his sibling Nan a makeover in his alluring portrait of her

Marian Anderson performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.

Four Years After Marian Anderson Sang at the Lincoln Memorial, D.A.R. Finally Invited Her to Perform at Constitution Hall

A benefit concert presaged the opera singer’s eventual rapprochement with the Daughters of the American Revolution

This bronze portrait bust of German composer Richard Wagner, sculptured by artist Arno Breker, resides in Bayreuth, Germany, home of the annual festival honoring his work.

The Brilliant, Troubled Legacy of Richard Wagner

As the faithful flock to the Bayreuth Festival in his bicentennial year, the spellbinding German composer continues to fascinate, inspire and infuriate

Acoustic paintings from the installation "Higher Resonance."

How Do You Make a Painting Out of Sounds?

Jennie C. Jones has the answer. Her first solo museum show opens at the Hirshhorn in May

As the goddess of love, beauty and sexual pleasure, Aphrodite inspired cult worship and challenged artists to render her in suitably magnificent form.

Bringing the Color Back to Ancient Greece

The white marble statutes we revere were originally dressed in eye-popping pigments

The shanties were erected with materials salvaged mainly from an 18th-century Creole cottage that collapsed on the site in 2009—everything from mahogany paneling to rattraps.

You've Never Heard A Music Box Like This

In a funky New Orleans experiment, musicians turn a ramshackle house into a cacophony of sounds

The missions—built between 1769 and 1823 and extending in a chain of 600 miles from Sonoma to San Diego—stand as symbols of California's Spanish colonial past. Pictured is San Miguel's bell tower.

A Tour of California's Spanish Missions

A poignant reminder of the region's fraught history, missions such as San Miguel are treasured for their stark beauty

Curator John Marciari discovered the Velázquez painting in a Yale storeroom and calls The Education of the Virgin "the most significant addition to the artist's work in a century or more."

A Velázquez in the Cellar?

Sorting through old canvases in a storeroom, a Yale curator discovered a painting believed to be by the Spanish master

Born in Seville in 1599, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was the very embodiment of Spain's artistic golden age.

Velázquez: Embodiment of a Golden Age

The magic of Velázquez has influenced artists from his contemporaries to Manet and Picasso

Unlike Anne Frank's diary, the graphic biography by Ernie Colón and Sid Jacobson covers the period before and after she and her family went into hiding.

A New Look at Anne Frank

Two comic book veterans—who authored the graphic adaptation of the 9/11 Report—train their talents on the young diarist

"The idea of musical chops—instrumental mastery—will still be around," says Laurie Anderson.

Laurie Anderson on the Sounds of the Future

The multi-faceted artist sees a future in which artists change our auditory experiences

A throbbing two-block entertainment district is all that is left of old Beale Street, most of which was razed in urban renewal schemes.

The Soul of Memphis

Despite setbacks, the Mississippi River city has held onto its rollicking blues joints, smokin' barbecue and welcoming, can-do spirit

Along his tour of Mississippi, writer Jamie Katz took a detour into Tunica's gambling emporia.

Memphis Blues, Mississippi Delta Roots

A random jaunt through the hallowed region that flavors the culture of its urban cousin to the north

John Gussenhoven bought a Harley-Davidson, learned to ride it proficiently, and then marked his route with a bold “X” across a map of the 48 states.

Finding America's Heart by Harley

Wealthy businessman John Gussenhoven pledged his fortunes to assist those who helped him on his journey across America

Irving Berlin singing at the dedication of the Los Angeles City Hall.

Jewish Songwriters, American Songs

Poet David Lehman talks about the brilliant Jewish composers and lyricists whose work largely comprises the great American songbook

The New Acropolis Museum opened on June 20, 2009, replacing its predecessor with a monumental space ten times the size.

Ancient Greece Springs to Life

Athens’ New Acropolis Museum comes to America in an exhibition highlighting treasures of antiquity

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