For much of the past three decades, Robin Cutler has collaborated with educational and cultural organizations, and with scholars and media makers to bring American stories to regional and national audiences.
Between 1979 and 1984, she was project director and co-producer of an Emmy nominated miniseries for PBS that became a centerpiece of the 400th anniversary celebration of the Roanoke Voyages. Much more than the story of the “Lost Colony;” ROANOAK brings to life the first contacts among Native Americans and Elizabethan explorers on the coast of North Carolina in the late 16th century. New York Times critic John O’Connor described the series as “admirably ambitious” and “quietly and consistently compelling.” With South Carolina ETV, Cutler also raised funds to create an illustrated Teachers’/Viewers’ Guide for ROANOAK that was sent to more than 100,000 libraries and schools.
Cutler was the film and television editor for the American Historical Association’s Perpectives, and a Program Officer in the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Public Programs between 1984 and 1989. She then founded a not-for-profit, Media Resource Associates, Inc., to document oral histories and local stories that provide unique perspectives on the history and character of American society. Many of MRA’s projects stemmed from her partnership with Native American communities in Massachusetts, Montana and Washington state. MRA created a collection of oral history resources with the Wampanoag in Aquinnah (Martha’s Vineyard, MA), and more than a dozen cultural resource videos with the Blackfeet in Browning, Montana.
Cutler wrote and produced MRA’s award-winning prime-time documentary for PBS, INDIAN AMERICA: A GIFT FROM THE PAST, a story of how archaeology and oral tradition define the Makah Indian Nation. Based on material that had never been seen by the public before, the film is narrated by Wes Studi (DANCES WITH WOLVES), and is still widely shown in colleges, universities and cultural centers across the United States and overseas. (Contact the Makah Museum in Neah Bay, WA. www.makah.com or 360 645- 2711.)
For the past eight years, Cutler’s work as a public historian has focused on Centennial projects with organizations in New York City and Arizona. She also completed a book about an extraordinary 1909 naval investigation: A Soul on Trial: A Marine Corps Mystery at the Birth of the Twentieth Century (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007). Praised by historians, and, most recently, in the Oregonian (12/07), the Oregon Historical Quarterly (vol. 109, no.1), the Marine Corps Gazette (4/08) and the U.S Naval Institute’s Proceedings (5/08) (”Notable Naval Books of 2007″ ), it is ”fascinating” tale about the clash between an Oregon mother and a Marine Corps major, and between civilian and military justice — one inspired by the power of the press a century ago. Readers will find that many aspects of Progressive Era life resonate today.
Cutler, who holds a Ph.D from Columbia University, is a member of several professional organizations; she taught at universities in New York City for close to 12 years and served as a humanities consultant for NPR; she is a reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities (serving most recently in April, 2008); she is also the recipient of numerous grants and awards for media and educational projects. She is represented by Ronald Goldfarb (www.RonaldGoldfarb.com).
For publicity questions, or to reach the author, please contact Alla Corey (acorey@rowmanlittlefield.com) or send an e-mail to RRCHistorySite at America Online.