On this week’s 51%, we celebrate women in art – both those who create it, and those who inspire it. We stop by a new Vassar College exhibit recognizing the age-old practice of sewing samplers, and how girls as far back as the 18th Century used the teaching tool to tell their stories and make their mark. Our associate producer, Jody Cowan, speaks with a woman who once modeled for the famous painter Norman Rockwell, and harpist Mikaela Davis shares how she learned to jam alongside the surviving members of the Grateful Dead.
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Guests: Caroline Culp, assistant professor of art history at Vassar College; Ida-Rose Chabon, Vassar College Class of 2024; Mikaela Davis, singer-songwriter; Pauline Adams Grimes, model in “We the Peoples: Norman Rockwell’s United Nations”
You can learn more about Vassar College’s “Between the Lines” exhibit here. You can also find out more about American samplers and research your family history at samplerarchive.org
51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is the show’s producer and host. Our associate producer is Jody Cowan, and our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme is “Lolita” from the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.