TALLAHASSEE, FL – Folk artist Earl Cunningham and marching band director William Patrick Foster will be the 2003 inductees into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Now recognized as one of the greatest American folk artists, the late Earl Cunningham (1893-1977) was a self-taught painter who used vivid colors to portray his own reflections of American life through a series of unique landscapes and seascapes. Born in Edgecomb, Maine in 1893, Cunningham left his family farm at the age of thirteen, traveling up and down the eastern Seaboard before settling in St. Augustine in 1949. His own experiences informed his works, which celebrate the beauty of nature and often depict dramatic storms or sunsets. Painted in the American folk art style, his canvases are filled with images of birds, trees, boats and the sea, and are a unique reflection of American history, from Native American life to more modern times.

The artworks of Earl Cunningham would not enjoy the recognition they do today if it were not for the vision and determination of art collector, Marilyn Mennello of Winter Park. Ms. Mennello first recognized the artist’s genius in 1969, when she visited his Over Fork studio in St. Augustine and purchased one of his pieces. Years later, after the artist’s death in 1977, Ms. Mennello acquired 62 more of Cunningham’s works and then, together with her husband, Michael, set out to find as many more as she could. Throughout his life, Earl Cunningham was not recognized as a significant artist and he rarely sold a painting. It was his dream to have all of his works displayed in a museum setting; a dream that was realized in 1998 when the City of Orlando opened the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art to house the Mennello’s extensive collection of Cunningham’s works.

Prior to the establishment of the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Earl Cunningham's paintings reached national prominence and were exhibited in one-man exhibitions in thirty museums across the United States. His work is represented in 10 major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Abbey Aldrich Rockefeller Museum in Williamsburg, Virginia. His paintings have also been displayed in several U.S. embassies as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program. In 2007, Cunningham will be the first folk artist to have a one-man exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Dr. William Patrick Foster, recognized as one of the world’s most renowned band directors, was the creator and band director of the internationally acclaimed Florida A&M University (FAMU) Marching “100” Band for over 50 years. His innovative approach to marching band entertainment resulted in his own unique style of band pageantry, which dazzled thousands and brought great recognition to the State of Florida. As an artist and an educator, Dr. Foster truly revolutionized marching band techniques and reshaped the perception of the art form.

Dr. Foster’s FAMU Marching “100” Band has entertained audiences from all over the world. In 1989, the band was the official representative of the United States at the French Bastille Day Parade in Paris, which celebrated the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. The band has also appeared in films, commercials, presidential inaugurations, magazine and newspaper articles, and has been featured in over thirty nationally-televised programs. In 1985, the band received the prestigious John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Trophy.

Others have recognized Dr. Foster’s accomplishments in band direction and education. He is a member of the Hall of Fame for several organizations including the National Association for Distinguished Band Conductors, the Florida Music Educators Association and the Afro-American Hall of Fame, to name just a few. In 1994, he was elected president of the American Bandmasters Association and in 1996, the U.S. Congress approved Dr. Foster’s presidential appointment to serve on the National Council on the Arts.

Established by the Florida Legislature in 1986, the Florida Artists Hall of Fame is the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that the State of Florida bestows upon any individual. The Florida Department of State presents this honor to recognize those persons who have made significant contributions to the arts in Florida as a practicing artist or performer. Florida natives and those persons who have adopted Florida as their home state and base of operations are eligible. The Florida Artists Hall of Fame currently consists of 32 inductees, including musician and performer Ray Charles, writers Zora Neale Hurston, Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway, and visual artists Duane Hanson, Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist.

For general information on the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, please contact the Department of State’s Division of Cultural Affairs at 850/245-6470. This material is available in alternate formats upon request.

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