From Feb 13th through Mar 2009. 
The Graham Center Art Gallery will debut the highly anticipated exhibition The Highwaymen on February 13th, 2009 to continue its tradition at FIU as a leader in presenting visual art across disciplines and diverse cultural backgrounds.
The art gallery, located at FIU’s University Park, was established in 1996 to provide a venue for students of the art and art history department to display their artwork in a gallery setting. The gallery has proved to be an influential and practical learning experience for students outside of the classroom, where students can participate in the complete process of operating and administering a gallery, scheduling, organizing, publicizing, installing and lighting exhibitions – and even coordinating opening receptions and cultural events.
The Graham Center Art Gallery will cater the events and open its doors to the public as well as members of the FIU community free of charge. Each event will include an informal lecture about the work from local and international artists featured in the exhibits. Through February, the museum will be open every weekday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. and from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends.
The exhibition The Highwaymen will open to the public on February 13th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. It all started in the 50’s when a small number of African Americans dedicated their talents and livelihoods to painting the Florida landscape. With the friendship and encouragement from local landscape artist A.E. “Bean” Backus, these young Ft. Pierce artists developed their individual techniques and rendered waterscapes, backcountry marshes, and inlets with a raw beauty and mystique, which became well-known vintage Floridian images.
From the beginning, there were people who collected their paintings. Later, the artwork became noted for introducing the Indian River School and the Backus School movements and the Ft. Pierce artists became known to the public as the Florida Highwaymen. They continue to create awareness, appreciation and knowledge of natural Florida and the need to conserve the remaining areas.
This exhibit will be featured throughout February as a tribute to African American History Month. Works from several generations of the Highwaymen will be on display with an original member speaking on the night of the reception.
The Graham Center Art Gallery
Florida International University
Graham University Center – GC1215
University Park Campus
Miami, FL 33199
305.348.7504
http://gcgal.fiu.edu
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