Original Florida Hall of Fame Highwaymen Museum & History Center, Inc.

We are raising money to build the Original Florida Hall of Fame Highwaymen Museum in the City of Ft. Pierce.

 

The Highwaymen were a group of African American landscape artists who got their start in the 1950s in Fort Pierce, FL. The effects of segregation in the Jim Crow era meant black artists could not hang their work in galleries during these times, so The Highwaymen took to the road, selling their art out of the trunks of their cars from the 1950s to 1970s. Today, a small group remain, yet the art has transformed into a story needed to be kept alive.

 

Mentored by A.E. Backus, the group pioneered an art style that appealed to Florida residents & visitors alike that depicted vibrant Florida landscapes. Despite these outsider artists' pieces originally being sold on the roadside to locals & tourists, The Highwaymen's art now sells at collector prices, with A-listers such as former First Lady Michelle Obama, director Steven Speilberg, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on the collectors' roster.

 

We are a registered 501(c)(3), and are currently applying for a grant from the State of Florida to help build the museum, yet showing we also have community support to the State is crucial. Please help us maintain this important part of our city's, state's, and country's history, while helping build it stronger!