Florida Highwaymen exhibit on display at Selby Gardens

SARASOTA, Fla. - Visitors to Selby Gardens in Sarasota get to travel back in time with an exhibit called The Florida Highwaymen: Interstate Connections.

"We have 17 really stellar examples of the work of the Florida Highwaymen," shared David Berry, Vice President of Visitor Engagement.

The paintings and historic artwork are on display inside the Museum of Botany & the Arts at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus.

Walter Gilbert shared, "It's a Black History subject that people need to know and understand. And these guys became known as the Highwaymen simply because they were doing this on the highways and byways in the State of Florida."

Gilbert is the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Selby Gardens and knows the work of the Highwaymen well.

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"It was a talent that they developed over time because they had too," he said.

The artists painted the landscapes and flora all around Florida selling their works out of the trunks of their cars or off the backs of their pickups.

That was the only way for them to get exposure as Black artists in the 1950s.

What they captured was the beauty and majesty of old Florida in a way that no other artists had before.

"The scenes are quite famous for representing Florida landscaping, many of which has been lost," admitted Berry. "It evokes memories, and it raises questions and people want to explore this part of Florida."

The pairing of the Highwaymen exhibit and the natural beauty of Selby Gardens is a deliberate nod to the history of artists who captured the natural beauty that surrounds us in Florida.

The exhibit is on display at the Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota campus until Sept. 15.

To learn more about it and their hours of operations, click here.

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