Author, educator, and art historian Maria Ausherman will launch her much-anticipated Virgin Islands book tour and presentation of her new release, Painters in Paradise: Exploring the Caribbean Islands, on Friday, May 9 at 4 p.m. at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in St. Croix.
The book tour continues Saturday, May 10 at 4 p.m. at Bajo El Sol Gallery in St. John, and on Monday, May 12 at 1 p.m. at the St. Thomas Historical Trust in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
With over fifty color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and maps, Painters in Paradise celebrates both native Caribbean artists—such as Camille Pissarro (DWI), Francisco Oller (PR), and Michel-Jean Cazabon (TT)—and renowned American artists like Frederic Edwin Church and Winslow Homer, who captured the essence of the Caribbean during their travels. Ausherman’s engaging presentation will explore the artists’ lives, their creative inspirations, and the cultural legacy they left behind.
Maria Ausherman has a deep-rooted personal connection to the Virgin Islands. In the 1980s, she interned with the Virgin Islands Planning Office, assisting with an inventory of historic sites on St. John outside the bounds of the Virgin Islands National Park. Her family history is also interwoven with the region—her mother, Maria Isabel Lima Ausherman, was born in Puerto Rico, raised in St. Thomas, and taught mathematics there for many years.
“My motivation to write this book is to honor my mother most of all,” says Ausherman. “And to express my love to her, my family, and to the land I got to know so well.” Reflecting on her childhood memories, she recalls her grandfather’s farm in Bovoni, adventures in the pastures of Harthman’s farm, and the inspiration she found in the landscapes that echo through the paintings of Camille Pissarro.
Ausherman is an independent scholar with a BA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in Cinema Studies from CUNY, and an MEd in Social Science Education from the University of Georgia. Her previous works include Masters of Shape: The Lives and Art of American Women Sculptors, Behind the Camera: American Women Photographers Who Shaped How We See the World, and The Photographic Legacy of Frances Benjamin Johnston. She also co-authored Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hawaii with Patricia Jennings.
This event series is a unique opportunity for art lovers, historians, and Caribbean enthusiasts to delve into the vibrant artistic history of the region and engage with a deeply personal narrative of heritage and creativity.
