Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Paul Glenshaw is an independent filmmaker, artist, and writer whose work covers art, history, and aviation and blends multiple disciplines. He is co-director, writer and producer of the World War I documentary The Lafayette Escadrille, distributed nationwide to PBS stations in 2021. His work for the Smithsonian Associates include his popular online series Art+History; Jazz in Paris and other history lectures, as well as drawing instruction and history tours. He is a longtime contributing author and editor for Air & Space Smithsonian magazine, with expertise in the Wright brothers and pre-WWI aviation.

In addition to other articles, films, and exhibits for museums and other institutions around the country, he is the author of the theatrical concert To Swing through the Sky, a commission by George Mason University that traces the twin histories of jazz and powered flight. His drawings made at the Folger Shakespeare Library were featured on their Shakespeare and Beyond blog. He is currently creating a series of drawings made from the remains of Civil War casualties at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. At the start of the 2020 pandemic, he co-created The Seven Tones Project, which paired musicians and filmmakers to create 40 short films based on the music of Duke Ellington. He began his career at the National Gallery of Art, selling postcards in the bookstore, and then printing exhibit labels. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. More at www.glenshawcreative.com.