With its sweeping beaches, glamorous cities, laid back fishing villages, and rural farm towns, Florida has served as the inspiration and creative location for many artists. Visit any beach town in Florida and you're sure to find several local galleries. The atmosphere, the weather, and the scenery just seem to breed creative energy. Combined with the steady stream of visitors seeking sun and sand, beach towns provide excellent locations for artists to set up their studios. Art museums also showcase a variety of work across the state.
Florida Artists
Over the years, Florida has inspired a number of prominent artists. Renowned naturalist and painter John James Audubon visited Florida several times in the 1830s to study and paint birds for his seminal work The Birds of America. His temporary home in the Florida Keys, the Geiger House, was restored and now serves as the Audubon House Museum.
20th century artist A.E."Bean" Backus, a native of Fort Pierce, painted Florida landscapes and local flora and fauna. His contribution to the art world included mentoring the Florida Highwaymen, a group of African American artists who painted Florida landscapes. Backus' work can be seen at the Backus Museum and Gallery in downtown Fort Pierce. Open seasonally, the museum displays works by other Florida artists as well.
The Florida Highwaymen, so named because they often sold their paintings out of the trunks of their cars along the roadway, became known for their striking landscapes. With leading painter Alfred Hair and Bean Backus as mentor, these painters played a pivotal role in developing Florida's contemporary art. Their works are widely collected, and can be seen at the Official Highwaymen Art Gallery in Fort Pierce.
Clyde Butcher, a photographer well known for his black and white landscapes, began his career in the 1960s. Much of his work has concentrated on Florida, especially the Big Cypress region and the Everglades. Travelers can see his works at his studio and gallery in Venice, Florida and at the Big Cypress Gallery in the Everglades, in the middle of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Other galleries throughout Florida and the U.S. also host his traveling exhibits. He has received a number of honors, including the Lifetime Acheivement Award 2005 by the North American Nature Photography Association.
Sculptor and painter Doris Leeper garnered international recognition for her works. She lived and worked in New Smyrna Beach, where she founded the Atlantic Center for the Arts, a well known artist colony. In 1995, she restored an old warehouse and turned it into Arts on Douglas, a gallery which represents more than 50 prominent Florida artists. Today visitors can see the works of many talented artists in varying disciplines both at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and Arts on Douglas.
Many other artists in Florida display their artwork through festivals and local art centers. In areas such as Cedar Key, Pine Island, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Marco Island, Miami, and the Florida Keys, active arts organizations thrive. These groups promote local arts and artists through events, galleries, workshops, and festivals.
For collectors looking to purchase artwork, there are several areas with a large number of galleries. Naples, Miami/Boca/Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa - St. Pete, the Florida Keys, and Sarasota all offer numerous galleries to browse and buy art.
Museums
Of course, museums are another great way to see art in Florida. Out in the panhandle, visitors can see a notable collection of 20th and 21st century art at the Pensacola Museum of Art. The permanent collection concentrates on modern and contemporary art, in addition to collections of glass and African tribal art. In Tallahassee, the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, a Smithsonian affiliate, features rotating exhibits. Genre and subject matter vary widely, from classic Rembrandt prints to theatrical black and white photography to contemporary African American art. The Harn Museum in Gainesville on the University of Florida campus owns a sizeable collection of the works of Hiram D. Williams, an impressionistic painter from Florida.
On the east coast lies Jacksonville, one of Florida's largest metro areas and home to several museums. They include the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, highlighting work from 1960 to the present; the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, known for its collection of Meissen porcelain, plus formal English and Italian gardens; and the Koger Gallery of Art and Gardens. A bit further south, in St. Augustine, the Lightner Museum is housed in the former Alcazar hotel, a lavish building originally commissioned by railroad magnate Henry Flagler. This stunning museum features outstanding collections of Tiffany stained glass, 19th century cut glass, costumes, and other artifacts from the Gilded Age.
Visitors to central Florida will find many high quality art museums to enjoy. Orlando boasts several museums of note, including the Orlando Museum of Art, the Maitland Art Center, the Morse Museum of American Art, and the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College. Also in Orlando, the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art houses many works by Earl Cunningham, one of America's greatest folk artists. The Deland, Melbourne, and Lake county areas are also home to several art museums.
Florida's Gulf side features many collections for art lovers to appreciate. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, designated the official State Art Museum of Florida, sits on 66 acres on Sarasota Bay and houses 21 galleries. Its Old Masters collection of 750 paintings is the most important area in the museum. Works by Rubens, Van Dyck, and many others are displayed here.
In the Tampa area, museums include the Tampa Museum of Art and the Museum of African American Art. Perhaps the most prestigious is the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Displaying the largest collection of Salvador Dali's work in the world, the museum is one of the most popular cultural stops in Florida.
Further south, the Naples Philharmonic Center houses the Naples Museum of Art. With a glass ceiling by Dale Chihuly, gates by Albert Paley, and collections that include modern and contemporary art and sculpture, this museum is not to be missed.
Unsurprisingly, given the region's history and wealthy residents, the Palm Beach and Miami area is the most art-heavy part of Florida. No less than 15 art museums are located here. Broward County's unique Schacknow Museum of Fine Arts provides a venue for both unknown and recognized artists to display their work. Artwork by the mentally disabled, inmates, senior citizens, and other groups is often shown here.
Other area museums include several in Miami, such as the Latin American Art Museum, the Miami Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. In Palm Beach County, art lovers can choose from the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, the Norton Museum of Art, and the Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Florida is a state celebrated and treasured for its beautiful beaches, stunning scenery, and balmy weather. These traits, combined with an often wealthy population, have come together to create a rich art scene that includes world class museums, widely supported local artists, and a plethora of galleries. Travelers will find Florida a true work of art.