A.E. Backus and Florida’s Highwaymen:
History, Commerce and Art
Ritter Art Gallery: September 16 - November 19, 2016
Opening: Thursday, September 15, 2016, 6:30pm
Press Package
A.E. Backus and Florida’s Highwaymen: History, Commerce and Art brings to the public new scholarly insights into the work of “Bean” Backus, Florida's preeminent landscape painter, and the Highwaymen, 26 African-American artists, influenced to varying degrees by Backus. The project centers on an exhibition of selected original Backus works owned by Florida Atlantic University and an approximately equal number of Highwaymen paintings of regional collectors. Public lectures and gallery talks by Florida-based humanities scholars will inform visitors of the social, historical, and political milieu of these artists. A panel discussion among several contemporary African-American visual artists will critically examine and offer fresh perspectives on the content, stylistic renderings, and aesthetics of these paintings.
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Public Programs:
Backus and Highwaymen Paintings:
Gallery Talk
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Historical and Social Contexts of Backus/Highwaymen Narrative in Mid-20th Century Jim Crow Florida Friday, October 28 at 7pm Speaker: Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs (humanities scholar) Panel Discussion Thursday, November 3 at 7pm Speakers: Mallory O’Connor (moderator), Onajide Shabaka (discussant),Adler Guerrier (discussant), Khaulah Nuruddin (discussant) – all humanities scholars. Introduction on history of Florida landscape painting by moderator, followed by 3 visual artists as panel discussants critically examining the content, stylistic renderings, and aesthetics of the Backus versus Highwaymen paintings from the perspective of African-American studies. Race and Visual Representation vis-à-vis the Highwaymen Thursday, November 10 at 7pm Speaker: Dr. Michael D. Harris (humanities scholar) A.E. Backus: Style and Patronage Thursday, November 17 at 7pm Speaker: Dr. Natasha Kuzmanovic (humanities scholar) |
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.