The Florida Highwaymen Museum in Fort Pierce is a featured stop on the America 250 Road Trip, a nationwide initiative leading up to the U.S.’s 250th anniversary on July 4.
The museum is the only one dedicated to all 26 original Florida Highwaymen artists and the only place where visitors can view a painting from each artists in one location, according to a city news release on June 25.
The national recognition highlights the legacy of the Florida Highwaymen and puts Fort Pierce on the map of destinations that tell the story of America’s people, culture and history, according to the release.
The City of Fort Pierce Florida Highwaymen Museum opened Feb. 20 in the Jackie L. Canyon Sr. Building at 1234 Avenue D. Its hours are limited to noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
The Florida Highwaymen are a group of 26 Black artists with deep ties to Fort Pierce and Gifford whose paintings helped define a distinct chapter in Florida art history.
Beginning in the 1950s, they sold landscape paintings directly to buyers instead of relying on galleries, often carrying their work in the trunks of their cars and stopping along roadsides or going door to door.
That approach grew out of the realities of segregation, a limited art market and a need to make a living, according to James “Jim” Oelschlager, a retired psychologist who for years has been researching the Highwaymen and creating a timeline of their lives and work using newspaper archives and historical documents.
Their paintings, once sold for as little as $25, now can bring tens of thousands of dollars or more. Their legacy also remains visible locally through a museum in Fort Pierce, gravesite tributes and an annual festival that highlights both original and second-generation artists.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida Highwaymen Museum featured as stop on America 250 Road Trip
Reporting by Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
