CLEWISTON — Art historian Dr. Keri Watson will be in Clewiston to present “Picturing Paradise: From John James Audubon to the Florida Highwaymen” on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the Clewiston Museum. The program is being presented in partnership with the Florida Humanities’ Florida Talks program and is free and open to the public.

The presentation offers a succinct and engaging history of Florida’s landscape painters.

The Florida landscape has provided aesthetic inspiration to artists for centuries. Titian Ramsay Peale and John James Audubon came in search of native flora and fauna. Other notable artists & photographers who were lured by its natural beauty and warm climate followed. These include Harriet Beecher Stowe, Martin Johnson Heade, George Inness, Winslow Homer, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, among others.

Watson is an associate professor of art history at the University of Central Florida and co-executive editor for Panorama: Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art. She is the author of This is America: Re-Viewing the Art of the United States (2023) and editor of the Routledge Companion to Art and Disability (2022).

In addition to the program, the museum is also hosting an exhibition and sale of paintings by the Florida Highwaymen. The one-day showing and sale will feature the work of Harold Newton, Alfred Hair, James Gibson, the lone female artist Mary Ann Carroll, and more! The paintings are from the Curated Collective antique store and Highwaymen gallery in Lakeland, Florida. 

Prior to the program, the museum will hold its annual membership meeting at 6:30 pm. In addition, the museum will be open for attendees to enjoy a self-guided tour. The museum’s admission fee will be waived, which will provide an opportunity to tour the beautifully renovated galleries and exhibits.

Florida Talks is one of Florida Humanities’ longest-running public programs. The organization’s speakers’ bureau features more than 30 exceptional scholars, journalists, authors, and humanities experts and over 60 brand new and returning programs.

Florida Talks offers nonprofit organizations across the state an accessible way to host engaging speakers who present Florida’s history, heritage, and culture through historical and contemporary lenses.

“Florida Humanities is thrilled to share its redesigned Florida Talks program. As one of our long-standing public programs, Florida Talks shares history, heritage, and culture with communities large and small across the state. We hope attendees walk away with new perspectives and knowledge and are energized to continue learning about our unique state,” April Myerscough, Florida Humanities Public Programs Coordinator.

The Clewiston Museum is a private not-for-profit that relies on donations, grants, the support of its members, and fundraising events to remain in operation. It is located at 109 Central Avenue in Clewiston and the hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Saturday hours are by appointment only. Contact the museum at 863-983-2870 or via email at director@clewistonmuseum.org.