FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN ART SHOW & SALE RETURNS TO POMPANO BEACH

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

BY MARIE PULEO | POMPANO BEACH NEWS REPORTER

The 10th Annual Florida Highwaymen Art Show and Sale, presented by the Pompano Beach Historical Society, is set to take place Saturday, Nov. 27, from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, Nov. 28, from 10am to 4pm, at the Pompano Beach Woman’s Club, located at 314 NE 2nd Street in Pompano Beach.

The famed Florida Highwaymen were a group of 26 African-American self-taught landscape artists who began painting in the mid-1950s in makeshift studios set up in their backyards, using basic construction materials, such as Upson board, rather than traditional art supplies. As no galleries would originally accept their works, the artists sold the oil paintings by the thousands during the 1960s and 1970s out of the trunks of their cars along the eastern coastal roads of South Florida. Their vibrant, iconic images of an unspoiled Florida became recognized as an original American art form.

Four of the original Florida Highwaymen artists will be attending the art show and sale: Curtis Arnett, Al Black, Isaac Knight and Doretha Hair Truesdell, widow of Alfred Hair, co-founder of the Highwaymen art movement. Second-generation Highwaymen artist Roderick Hair (Alfred and Doretha’s son) will also be featured. Artwork of the late Mary Ann Carroll, an original Highwaymen artist, will be presented by her daughter Kandie Ingram.

Tickets for the art show and sale are $5 per person each day and are available for purchase online or at the door.

On Friday, Nov. 26, from 6pm to 9pm, Doretha Hair Truesdell, who learned how to paint from her late husband Alfred Hair, will teach a limited number of guests how to create their own Highwaymen-style painting during the second annual “Paint Like the Florida Highwaymen” class to be held at the Pompano Beach Woman’s Club. Tickets to “Paint With Doretha” are $100 per person and must be pre-purchased. The ticket price includes all needed art supplies, as well as beer, wine, soft drinks and light refreshments.  

During the art show and sale, several activities will take place in Founders Park, directly across the street from the Pompano Beach Woman’s Club. The Kester Cottage Museums will be open for free tours, and the Pompano Beach Historical Society, located in the Hood Center, will feature a free exhibit in tribute to the late Willie Daniels, one of the original Florida Highwaymen, who died in September. Refreshments from Spanx the Hog BBQ will be available for purchase in the park from 11am to 4pm.

In addition to original paintings, there will also be Florida Highwaymen prints and commemorative posters available for sale at the show, which can be signed by the attending artists.

The surviving Highwaymen, now in their seventies, represent an important chapter in America’s culture and history. Their works have hung in countless homes, businesses, and even the White House and the Florida State Capitol. The 26 original Florida Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Florida Highwaymen Art Show and Sale will be the Pompano Beach Historical Society’s only fundraiser for 2021. The monies earned will enable the historical society to promote and preserve Pompano’s history through educational programs, as well as the Kester Cottage Museums and citywide historic tours conducted throughout the year.

For tickets or more information, visit pompanohistory.com or call 954-782-3015.

For more Pompano Beach news and things to do in Pompano Beach read Pompano! magazine and search our website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”10863,10864,9853,7195,7194,7193,7059,12335,9854″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]