Sarah Miriam Peale (1800-1885) - first episode of Absolutely Amazing American Artists series

Fontaine Dunn and Maria Ausherman discuss the life and work of Sarah Miriam Peale (1800-1885), one of the first women artists in America. Back in the early 1800s, girls and women did not have many opportunities. Creating art, however, brought big changes into Sarah Peale's life, especially as a member of the greatest dynasty of American artists. Establishing artistic conventions, she was a trend setter, leading the way for future generations.

Fontaine Dunn is an artist and writer living in Hudson, New York. She taught painting and drawing at Sarah Lawrence College, Princeton University, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She also has been an instructor of English for speakers of other languages. She obtained her BFA from Tulane University and her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University and she is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation.

Maria Ausherman is an author and retired teacher living in nearby Stuyvesant, New York. She obtained her BA at UNC-Chapel Hill, her MA at City University of New York, and her MEd at the University of Georgia in Athens where she also studied art history and wrote her dissertation on photography.

"Li Le, Li Tan" is a Creole language radio program meaning "it’s the time, it’s the hour." The show's mission is to promote Haitian language, music, arts, and culture; to raise awareness and to discuss Haiti’s history and its relevance to today’s world; and to share news on current events happening here in the counties and in Haiti. Broadcast live from Columbia County, New York.

Known as Azouke Legba, Gregory Sanon, a native of Haiti and co-founder of Haitian Community Development Project (HCDP), is a musician with compositions ranging from political protest, to support for children’s rights and health, to spiritual music for Voodoo ceremonies. He fuses his native music with traditional rock music such as that of Jimmy Hendrix and Santana. He has played with the famous dancer and choreographer Kathryn Dunham.