Exhibit of works continuing through this month
On Thursday, Feb. 20, a “free public lecture on the historical and cultural significance of the prolific Florida Highwaymen” will be held in honor of Black History Month in the Commission Chambers within Sarasota City Hall, city staff has announced.
The event will begin at 6 p.m., a news release says. City Hall stands at 1565 First St. in downtown Sarasota.
“The lecture will be led by Roger Lightle, a longtime Highwaymen art collector who has loaned the pieces for the [current] City Hall display,” the release points out.
“The Florida Highwaymen exhibit is part of the Cultural Heritage Exhibit series, which was created to celebrate the City’s many cultural legacies through museum-quality visual arts experiences,” the release explains. “The Highwaymen exhibition was first installed at City Hall in January 2024 and was refreshed after six months. It has been on display since” and will remain so through this month, to coincide with Black History Month, the release notes.
“Having this incredible exhibit displayed in City Hall through Black History Month is significant in many ways,” said Ciera Coleman, administrator of the city’s Public Art Program. “It is unique and very special to have a museum-quality exhibit such as this offered in a public government building,” she added.
“The collection of paintings showcases the creativity and influence of the more than two dozen Black landscape artists who frequented Florida’s agricultural communities following World War II,” the release explains. “These prolific painters sold artworks from the trunks of their cars beginning in the 1950s,” as they were prohibited from traditional exhibitions in the South because of their skin color, the release adds. “While making ends meet, they simultaneously made an everlasting mark on Florida landscape painting and cultural arts,” it says.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Limited space is available on a first-come, first-served basis, the release adds. “Reservations will not be accepted.”
The exhibit itself is open to the public during regular City Hall hours, which are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, the release notes. Learn more about the exhibit here.