Most people associate pineapples with Hawaii. But pineapples were such an important money crop in this part of the country in the 1880s that Fort Myers adopted a pineapple in full bloom as its official insignia when it incorporated in 1885.
Picking up on that theme, the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda is hosting an art show opening in September that pays homage to this region’s long-forgotten heritage as a major pineapple producer.
While the pineapple may be the headliner, Center Director Lisa Gallucci said any artwork that focuses on our unique slice of paradise will be considered for the show, which is titled “Pineapples in Paradise.”
“We’re not saying that artists have to paint pineapples,” Gallucci said. “But what we want them to do is give us a painting or paintings that reflect living here in paradise.”
Gallucci, who hails from Seattle, was surprised to discover that the pineapple played such an important role in Southwest Florida more than 100 years ago. She thinks that the thousand-plus people who move here every week will find this aspect of our local history fascinating as well.
“We’re going to be partnering with the Punta Gorda History Museum to talk about the pineapple industry that was here in Southwest Florida,” Gallucci added. “We’re trying to collaborate with other nonprofits in the area to boost that information and have a little fun.”
“Pineapples in Paradise” opens September 12 and runs through October 11. The awards reception for the show is September 19, with Best in Show commanding a $1,000 prize.
The Visual Arts Center serves Charlotte County and beyond with three major galleries; six classrooms; jewelry, glass, pottery and technology studios; an extensive arts library; Gift Gallery, Art and Supply Store.
MORE INFORMATION:
- The Visual Arts Center is located at 210 Maud Street, Punta Gorda 33950.
- For more information, visit VisualArtCenter.org or call 941-639-8810.
- In addition to the $1,000 first prize, the Visual Arts Center will award $250 for second place, $100 for third place and a cash prize for the best portrait in the show. There is also a $100 People’s Choice Award.
- The earliest pineapple cultivation in Florida started in Key West in the 1860s. A shipwreck salvager by the name of Benjamin Baker established the first pinery on Plantation Key, and subsequently established trade with wholesalers in New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
- The pineapple first made its appearance in Southwest Florida in 1884. That’s when Captain Thomas Johnson planted 1,500 Puerto Rican slips north of the Caloosahatchee River. The fruit had such a sweet taste and fetched such a good price in Key West that by the time the town incorporated the following August, almost every settler up and down the river had planted a pinery.
- Historian Karl Grismer reports in “The Story of Fort Myers” that the pineapple was so important to the local economy that when the city incorporated on August 12, 1885, the electors adopted a pineapple in full bloom as the town’s official insignia, to be included on the town seal. “The pineapple was thus honored because it was then the fruit of all fruits in the Land of the Caloosahatchee and almost every home had a pinery,” Grismer notes.
To read more stories about the arts in Southwest Florida visit Tom Hall's website: SWFL Art in the News. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.