White Lies Matter: Decoding American Deceptionalism explores issues facing America and provides thought-provoking commentary using art. What inspired you to write this book?

I have previously stated that, “Years ago, noted art critic Robert Hughes lamented the fact that America had never had a Goya. That notion apparently remained in my subconscious because by 2013, I realized that my art was focused more and more on revealing the lies and misconceptions that were abundant in American history.

In addition to that motivation, my education includes minors in mathematics, foreign language and art history. And, my professional background goes well beyond teaching classes in art and art history. I have also taught in the University of Florida College of Engineering, created and taught in the Master of Business Administration degree program in UF’s College of Business Administration, and taught Art Law at UF for fifteen years along with Distinguished Service Professor of Law, E. L. Roy Hunt. And, for more than ten years, I worked with Professor of Medicine, Dr. James Cerda studying and writing about the health hazards affecting actors, artists, dancers, and musicians. I was also made quite aware of all of the issues beyond the arts that face our society through my founding of the nation’s first arts policy center, the multidisciplinary UF Center for the Arts and Public Policy and its many subsequent diverse programs.”

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The book primarily deals with American’s misconceptions of their country’s history––especially in the areas of politics, law, and journalism.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?

Far too many people today, and Americans in particular, have no real sense of history––theirs or their country’s. I hope that the reader of this book will finally begin to rethink what he or she really knows about the United States. This issue has become far more important in the 2020s than, perhaps, ever before. Both the text and the plates provide a new and different way of approaching this objective.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I began working on White Lies Matter Two: Myth America in April 2021. I hope that it will not take eight years to complete as the first book did, and I am enough of an optimist at almost eighty-two years of age to think that I can complete it by December 2022.

Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads