RICHARD KURIN is the Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution. A former Fulbright fellow with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, he is the author of The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects; Madcap May: Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope; and Reflections of a Culture Broker: A View from the Smithsonian. Kurin has been awarded the Smithsonian Secretary’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service and the American Folklore Society’s Botkin Prize for lifetime achievement.
