ArtFest Fort Myers returns this weekend for its 15th year. The art festival runs Feb. 5-8, and includes a special exhibit of works from some of the original Florida Highwaymen.
These self-taught African American artists produced prolific works depicting iconic Florida landscapes beginning in the 1950s.
Facing racial and cultural barriers and the fact that galleries simply wouldn’t show their work, the Highwaymen took to selling their works door-to-door or along roadsides. Now the Highwaymen have been called the last great American art movement of the 20th century and original works are sought after by collectors around the world. We’ll talk with one of the Highwaymen artists and we’ll find out more about this year’s offerings at ArtFest Fort Myers.
Guests:
Sharon McCallister, Executive Director, ArtFest Fort Myers
Kelvin Hair, Florida Highwayman artist and son of the movement’s founder Alfred Hair
