ENERGY
Season 3 | Episode 7
Bridgette Fortenberry - This proud New Orleans native and two-time graduate of Louisiana State University currently serves as the Baton Rouge Magnet High School’s Magnet Site Coordinator, but she served as an English educator for more than a decade prior to accepting this position. Throughout her tenure in the classroom, she garnered two Baton Rouge Magnet High School Teacher of the Year awards, as well as being named one of the three semifinalists for the 2012 East Baton Rouge Parish School District’s High School Teacher of the Year Award. She earned recognition due to her mentorship of new teachers, and her commitment to the idea that all students should have true access to success. Teaching is a calling, which she is constantly striving to walk worthy of in every aspect of her career.
DYNAMICS
Season 3 | Episode 6
Louis Michot - This two-time Grammy award winner is a fiddle player and singer for Lost Bayou Ramblers. In 2023 he released his debut solo album Rêve du Troubadour. Alongside his progressive approach to the sonic evolution of modern folk music, Louis’ passion for Louisiana’s cultural and ecological sustainability fuel his songwriting, and his music career continues to push the boundaries of the Louisiana French music traditions.
MOOD
Season 3 | Episode 5
Ekpe Abioto - This multi-instrumentalist, storyteller, songwriter, and cultural enrichment specialist is a native of Memphis. He has been performing since 1973 and has travelled the world as a musician.
THEME
Season 3 | Episode 4
Samantha Aldana - This award-winning Belizean-American director/writer is influenced by the magical realism and folklore storytelling traditions of her multicultural upbringing in Mississippi and the Caribbean. Aldana is inspired by stories that use genre elements to explore the human condition and is most drawn to characters and stories that have often gone unseen.
PLOT
Season 3 | Episode 3
Grayhawk Perkins - A Louisiana-based storyteller, artist, and musician, Perkins has become well known for telling his compelling versions of Indigenous and original tales at schools, libraries, and cultural events. In 2020, Perkins was named a Cultural Standard Bearer for Louisiana.
CHARACTER
Season 3 | Episode 2
Paula Calderon – This visionary and creative artist was born in Colombia, South America, but her creative horizons expanded to North America and she now makes her home in Lafayette. Paula holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design. That, combined with her 20 years of experience as a professional ballet dancer have given her the tools to become an entrepreneur in costume and stage design and production. Paula draws her inspiration from the richness of everyday life, the vibrant Latin culture that shaped her upbringing, and the visual beauty of natural landscapes.
COLOR
Season 3 | Episode 1
Katherine Klimitas – This Louisiana artist, speaker, author, and graphic designer works to bring joy to people. She was diagnosed with Brittle Bone Disease, but hasn’t let that stop her pursuing her dreams. She is focused on expanding her capabilities as a watercolor artist and motivating others to contribute to their communities.
OBSERVE
Season 2 | Episode 1
Adam Vo – A Louisiana native, Adam Vo has been working as a professional photographer and videographer since 2007. His work has appeared in publications like Entertainment Weekly and Sneaker News and has worked with brands like Nike, Puma, and eBay.
John Gray – This is the second Ziggy appearance by this award-winning Baton Rouge-based music educator. Gray was mentored by jazz great, Alvin Batiste. He teaches and performs professionally while also running his own music company. Watch John’s other Ziggy appearance in Season 1, Episode 2 on “Rhythm.”
UNDERSTANDING THE ARTS COMMUNITY
Season 2 | Episode 2
Rebecca Acosta - As Associate Director of the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, Acosta is also the director of the BRBT Youth Ballet and teaches intermediate and advanced ballet at The Dancers’ Workshop. In between it all, she is a full-time teacher with East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools, serving as director of the dance program at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.
Chef Celeste - As a child of 11 living in Detroit, Chef Celeste fell in love with Louisiana cuisine after discovering Justin Wilson on public television. She pursued her culinary training in Hawaii, which has helped shape the unique and enlivened interpretation of Louisiana cuisine that she shares today. Along with her Chef Celeste Bistros, she has appeared on numerous podcasts and webinars.
ENVISION
Season 2 | Episode 3
Marc Broussard – A musician from Lafayette, Broussard has a gift for channeling the spirits of classic R&B, rock, and soul into contemporary terms. He released his first independent EP at the age of 20 and continues to release music with the likes of other artists such as Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith.
Michael Papajohn – A character actor and stuntman, Papajohn has appeared in movies spanning the decades from Everybody’s All American, to the Spider-Man series. Many Louisiana viewers will know him as a former LSU baseball outfielder, part of the 1986 College World Series team.
DEVELOP YOUR CRAFT
Season 2 | Episode 4
Anne Bujold – Anne combines metalsmithing and blacksmithing techniques with alternative materials such as felt, ribbon, and plastics. In her sculpture, animals are agents examining the spaces between definitions – that fertile ground where new forms emerge. She is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Reid Williams & Teesa Dufrene – A very special guest appearance by these two acrobats who bring color and unbelievable contortions to the junkyard..
EXPRESS
Season 2 | Episode 5
Tank Ball – Born and raised in New Orleans, this singer/songwriter is part of the hybrid R&B/hip-hop/spoken word Grammy-nominated group Tank & the Bangas. Growing up, Tank loved to take part in slam poetry contests. This isn’t her first time collaborating with LPB. She hosted an LPB produced digital series Ritual, which can be streamed on the PBS Voices YouTube channel.
Keith Van Douglas – Known as the CartoonMan, Douglas is a brilliant Louisiana artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist whose artwork is colorful, vivid, and imaginative. He is prolific caricaturist, having drawn over 300,000 people in his long career. Douglas has also taught arts in East Baton Rouge public schools and at Louisiana State University.
STRETCH YOURSELF
Season 2 | Episode 6
Southern University Dancing Dolls – Formed in 1969, the Southern University Dancing Dolls are a world-famous dance troupe, part of the acclaimed Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band. The Dancing Dolls push the envelope, creating unique choreography, stemming from the troupes diverse dance backgrounds.
EXPLORE
Season 2 | Episode 7
Geeta Davé – A community artist and muralists from Baton Rouge, Davé draws inspiration from her heritage and the natural beauty of India. Her powerful compositions feature elegantly patterned animal forms and shapes from nature. Seething with activity and life, her paintings are as vividly colored as nature in bloom. Davé has committed herself to being active in her community.
REFLECT
Season 2 | Episode 8
Keylonda Wheeler – An author with a passion for helping others, Keylonda was inspired to earn a master’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in speech pathology. Practicing speech and language therapy in public, private, and virtual schools for several years, she became increasingly aware of the need to diversify the book collections of families and schools everywhere. She is the author of The Inclusive Krewe series, including Nia Skye’s Friend on Wheels.
ENGAGE
Season 2 | Episode 9
Elijah "Frawg" Wilson – An artist who studied music composition briefly at Louisiana State University, Wilson ultimately found a job and passion fabricating molds for masks and props at Composite Effects in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he currently works as the mold maker. He also builds puppets and puppeteers for local theatre and production companies. When he isn't building puppets or molds, Frawg spends his time puppeteering his own puppets under the name The Fruppets, playing guitar in the funk/jazz fusion band Breadstick Space Opera, and playing bass for fusion band Permutation.
PERSIST
Season 2 | Episode 10
Kenny Neal – A multi-Grammy nominated musician, Kenny Neal is known as a modern "Baton Rouge swamp blues" master and multi-instrumentalist, who draws musically from the sizzling sounds of his native Louisiana. The son of an acclaimed musician, Neal has been surrounded by music and art his entire life. He has released numerous albums and has even staged a much praised stint on Broadway, performing acoustic versions of Langston Hughes' poetry.
SPACE
Season 1 | Episode 1
Anna Schwab – A native of Baton Rouge, Anna is a professional dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. She has danced and choreographed professionally for local contemporary company, Of Moving Colors Productions and the New Orleans based Tsunami Dance.
CONTRAST
Season 1 | Episode 2
Chris King – A visual artist, King works in various mediums including ceramics, mosaics, tile murals, sculptures and digital arts.
MEDIUM
Season 1 | Episode 3
Ava Haymon – A published poet and committed teacher, Haymon was Poet Laureate of Louisiana from 2013 – 2015. Her work has appeared in journals nationwide. She has won the Louisiana Literature Prize for poetry, the L.E. Phillabaum Poetry Award, and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters 2011 Award in Poetry.
COMPOSITION
Season 1 | Episode 5
Le’Tiger DeAnte’ Walker – Le’Tiger began dancing at age six. He trained with The Dancers’ Workshop, home of the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, where he was a pre-professional company member and served as an artist-in-residence. He most recently danced professionally with Garth Fagan Dance.
EMPHASIS
Season 1 | Episode 6
Brandy Johnson – This Baton Rouge music educator began her career as an opera singer, singing with companies and traveling across the U.S. and the world. She is the choral conductor at McKinley Middle School for the Visual and Performing Arts and is an active performer with Theatre Baton Rouge, New Venture Theatre, and the Manship Theatre.
UNITY
Season 1 | Episode 7
Holly Stone-Barker – An illustrator of eight published picture books, Holly uses textured and hand-painted paper to create her designs. In conjunction with illustrating, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion of creating art with children of all ages.
BALANCE
Season 1 | Episode 8
Todd Henry – After a career that took him to the stages of Los Angeles, Henry returned home to Louisiana and has been with Playmakers since 2008. He has worked his way up from Artist in Residence, to Tour Manager, Education Director, Managing Director, and to finally, Executive Director.
PROPOSITION
Season 1 | Episode 0
Alba Izurieta – Alba began playing the violin at age 7 in her home country of Ecuador. She eventually won a scholarship to LSU, where she is currently studying.
