Explore Art That Triumphed Over Adversity

One of the great results of the magnificent expansion of the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art is that art of an iconic collection of Central Florida artists has found a permanent place to be revered and explored.

The Art of the Highway Men, what some art lovers call “The Last Great American Art Movement of the 20th Century,” has found its home as part of an expansive space on the second floor of the museum.

The exhibit is made possible thanks to long-time Lakelanders Charles and MaryLou Woodsby, who have the art on long-term loan to The AGB. The gallery showcases art by a prodigious group of African American painters during a time when our country was still in the throes of segregation. The group of 26 African-American landscape artists made a name for themselves during the Jim Crow era, and the name of the collective comes from the fact that many of the artists sold their paintings from their cars along state highways.

Currently the museum is offering docent-led tours the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 1 p.m. Staff help visitors delve into the art—and learn about the lives—of Harold Newton and Alfred Hair, the founding figures of the Florida Highwaymen.

The tours are free, and the next iteration of the tour is on Wednesday, April 23.

According to PR Newswire, the historic ascent of the Highwaymen is expected to hit the big screen in the near future as a production of Maverick Entertainment.