Landscape by Alfred Hair, 24" x 36"

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Secretary of State Glenda E. Hood announced today an exhibition organized by the Office of Cultural and Historical Programs entitled: “The Art of Florida’s Highwaymen.” The exhibit will be on display from February 1, 2005 through March 31, 2005 in the 22nd Floor Gallery in the Capitol, and is part of a statewide celebration of African-American culture and prosperity. The project was initiated by Governor Jeb Bush as part of the celebration of Black History Month.

“The Department of State is delighted to partner with the Governor’s office to promote the special celebration of Black History Month,” said Secretary Hood. “The story told by the Highwaymen’s paintings is one of importance in remembering Florida’s black heritage.”

The exhibit will feature works from the collection of Geoff Cook. The Highwaymen are a group of African-American artists who, in the late 50’s and early 60’s, were unable to display and sell their artwork in galleries which forced them to sell their paintings from the trunks of their cars. Styled after the work of white artist A.E. Backus, their paintings were not produced in a higher pursuit of art for art’s sake, but rather in pursuit of economic stability in the post-Jim Crow atmosphere of Ft. Pierce, Florida. The Highwaymen produced in excess of 100,000 Florida landscapes over the recent decades, and, in 2004, twenty-six Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

This exhibition is part of the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs’ Capitol Complex Exhibition Program. For more information, contact Sandy Shaughnessy at 850/245-6480 or visit: www.florida-arts.org.

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