African American Art of the Jim Crow Era: The Florida Highwaymen Exhibit
The Florida Highwaymen Exhibit was created in 2005 to share the captivating art and historically important story of the mid-century African American Art group known as the Florida Highwaymen, or just Highwaymen. Presently the collection contains 50+ vintage (1950s-1970s) works by the core early members of the group.
The Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artist Hall of Fame in 2004. It members 25 men and one woman.?Joining other members of the Hall which include, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and Ray Charles.
They painted near Ft. Pierce on Florida's "Space Coast" during the post-war boom as Florida emerged from the sleepy south fueled by the race into space, superhighways, air conditioning and ribbons of high rises pushed up tight against once untouched shores.
They captured the fireskies, sunsets, and sunrises. A million shades of pastel in clouds forever billowing and towering into the heavens. Spanish moss dripping from every branch along ancient rivers and crashing surf on untouched sandy beaches. Tall towering pines and majestic palms wafting on tropic breezes set against distant misty horizons. That untouched and natural beauty we never see while driving along the interstate but may be hidden across the treelines.
The Highwaymen have been called the "last great American Art Movement of the 20Th Century".?They were hardly an art movement when they started. Just young black men and one determined black lady looking to break free of their expected roles in a white-powered society. Working as common labor in the fields, packing houses, and as domestics. The highway was their road out from all of this oppression, tedium, and hardships.
They challenged and broke the conventions and societal norms of the time. But as sole female member Mary Ann Carroll (1940-2019) told me, they wanted an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. They began painting their artworks during the Jim Crow era a time when no art galleries would show or represent are by African Americans. Blacks were not seen to be entrepreneurs, let alone artists. It was a time when no art galleries would show or represent are by African Americans. They sold directly to their clients from the backs of their cars. The paint often still wet on their work.?Construction materials of upson board and window molding were used for the canvases and frames.
Their work is about the majesty and magnificence of nature. They warn us of just how fragile is our environment and why we must save it for future generations to care for and tend. Their legacy is of a primordial Florida now lost to time by the tools of man.?They followed no artistic rules because they knew none. They painted what they saw or even recollections and imaginations and memories of places and scenes. They worked from their homes and not en Plein air. We most definitely could describe them as impressionists.
These are a virtual representation of some of the 50+ Highwaymen paintings in the exhibit. It has been enjoyed in numerous locations over the past 16 years including Florida, Washington D.C, and Canada. Part of the exhibit collection is with the State Department being enjoyed in American Embassies in various corners of the world. The remaining works await new exhibit and teaching opportunities.
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I encourage you to please share your thoughts and stories about the Florida Highwaymen and their relevance in the 21st Century. What can the Highwaymen teach us about the times we are now living in?
Art has no borders. As a Canadian, living in Canada I hope to raise awareness of the unique and poignant story and the historical importance of the Florida Highwaymen.
They unveil an unseen or an imagined Florida. One we may never have seen, that no longer exists in reality. Seemingly only in their art.
Their story is as much if not more social commentary than it is art. It tells us a story of the American Dream of freedom, perseverance, enterprise, ingenuity, and their love of country. They gave us beauty in times of racism and hate. And it is as much a story about racism of the past as it is about that struggle that continues. It opens a door to that greater dialogue.
The Florida Highwaymen Exhibit is available for museums, galleries, exhibit spaces, and kismet. Please share with art lovers, nature lovers those who believe in oneness and all the beauty of life. The Highwaymen's journey still lies ahead of them.
Please share the exhibit website or consider hosting an exhibit. Thank you.