Meet Florida Highwayman Artist Al Black at Pop-Up Event and Sale Nov. 21

Tilted Tiara events is hosting a Florida Highwaymen Pop-up Art Event and Sale Thursday, Nov. 21 in the Rhodesbilt Arcade in historic downtown Lake Wales.

The one-day-only event, which includes a wine and cheese reception, is sponsored by Crooked Crown Antiques, Sugar Magnolia Salvage and Melange Antiques and Art Gallery. Al Black, one of the original Florida Highwaymen artists and Kelvin Hair, son of Highwayman Albert Hair, will be on hand from 2 to 8 p.m., bringing their original art and stories. The arcade is located at 230 E. Park Ave.

Melange also will be hosting its monthly Living Out Loud Poet's and Writer's Society, starting at 7 p.m. at the gallery at 250 E. Park Ave.

The Florida Highwaymen are a group of 26 African American landscape artists. Taught by Alfred "Beanie" Backus, they created a body of work of over 200,000 paintings, despite facing many racial and cultural barriers. Mostly from the Fort Pierce area, they painted landscapes and made a living selling them door-to-door to businesses and individuals throughout Florida from the mid-1950s through the 1980s.

For over 60 years The Highwaymen created large numbers of relatively inexpensive landscape paintings using construction materials rather than traditional art supplies. As no galleries would accept their work, they sold them in towns and cities and along roadsides throughout Florida, often still wet, out of the trunks of their cars.