Articles in Category: Profiles & Bios

Georgia O'Keeffe (Artist)

georgia-okeeffe.jpgGeorgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American artist. Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe was a major figure in American art from the 1920s. She received widespread recognition for her technical contributions, as well as for challenging the boundaries of modern American artistic style. She is chiefly known for paintings of flowers, rocks, shells, animal bones, and landscapes in which she synthesized abstraction and representation.

Her paintings present crisply contoured forms that are replete with subtle tonal transitions of varying colors. She often transformed her subject matter into powerful abstract images. New York Times critic Jed Perl in 2004 described her paintings as both "bold and hermetic, immediately appealing and unnervingly impassive."

O'Keeffe played a central role in bringing an American art style to Europe at a time when the majority of influence flowed in the opposite direction. This feat enhanced her art-historical importance given that she was one of few women to have gained entry to this level of professional influence. She found artistic inspiration in the rural Southwest, particularly in New Mexico, where she settled late in life.

Isadora Duncan (Mother of Modern Dance)

isadora-duncan.jpgIsadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 - September 14, 1927) was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and then only later in her life. She performed to acclaim throughout Europe.

Duncan's fondness for flowing scarves was the cause of her death in a freak automobile accident in Nice, France. Duncan's large silk scarf, while still draped around her neck, became entangled around one of the vehicle's open-spoked wheels and rear axle, breaking her neck.

Marian Anderson (Singer/Equal Rights Campaigner)

marian-anderson.jpgMarian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) was an American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said "Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty."

Most of her singing career was spent performing in concert and recital in major music venues and with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965.

Although she was offered contracts to perform roles with many important European opera companies, Anderson declined all of these, preferring to perform in concert and recital only.

Tina Stull (Mom/Cancer Survivor/Drag Racer)

tina-stull.jpgIn 1998, Stull went to the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School in Pomona, Calif., but didn't start drag racing until 2002 after being diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

"In 2002, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was told I had three years to live"

"I had to make some decisions about what I wanted to do with the time I had left. I decided that racing was one of the things I had been putting on the back burner but something I really wanted to do."

When Stull went back to the doctor they told her, "You don't have cancer, we can't find it; we don't know how to explain the pathology reports, so just go home."

During the time Tina thought she was dying, prayer became a major part of her life, because she felt she had no other options. "I made all my decisions based off my prayers. When I found out I was going to live I thought, why should my decisions be any different"

Severn Cullis-Suzuki (Environmental Activist)

severn_cullis-suzuki.jpgSevern Cullis-Suzuki (born 30 November 1979 in Vancouver, Canada) is an environmental activist, speaker, television host and author.

She has spoken around the world about environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future in mind, and take individual responsibility.

(See viral video: The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes, made when she 12, below.)


While attending Lord Tennyson Elementary School in French Immersion, at the age of nine, she founded the Environmental Children's Organization (ECO), a group of children dedicated to learning and teaching other youngsters about environmental issues.