The Village of Wellington invites the community to view and learn about the celebrated work of Florida’s Highwaymen with a free public art exhibit “The Art of Florida’s Highwaymen” at the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). The exhibit will be available for viewing on Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday, Feb. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and features live presentations with art historian, Roger Lightle at 2 p.m. each day.
In the late 1950s, during the Jim Crow era, a small group of African American artists from the Fort Pierce and Vero Beach area started a business venture during a time when employment opportunities available were mostly low-paying, minimum wage jobs.
Eventually, the group numbered 26 self-taught artists. Unable to display and sell their work through traditional channels, such as galleries and art agents, they traveled the roads selling their paintings to business owners, real estate brokers, lawyer’s offices, banks and others.
This unconventional sales method earned them the name “The Highwaymen.” For more than 60 years, the group captured Florida’s natural beauty in an estimated 200,000 paintings, depicting striking views of backwoods scenes, breaking waves, palm-lined beaches and rivers, to name a few.
For more information, call the Wellington Community Center at (561) 753-2484, or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov/highwaymen.
