Thomas Allen Harris is a many-media artist who explores family and identity in what he calls a "participatory model of filmmaking" that he’s been pioneering for nearly three decades now. He’s an accomplished filmmaker and public television producer. His documentary Through a Lens Darkly premiered on Independent Lens on PBS a few years ago, and was nominated for a National Emmy.
Born in the Bronx and raised in New York City and Tanzania, Thomas is a graduate of Harvard College and the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program. He’s made a number of other feature and short films in his life, and he lectures and teaches widely on media arts and other topics including an upcoming course around Family Pictures USA as a Senior Lecturer at Yale University. Oh, and by the way he’s the host and creator of Family Pictures USA - a new public tv show that explores lives through the lens of the family photo album.