SPL LIVING
February: Black History Month Florida Highwaymen Exhibit at SPMOH The St. Petersburg Museum of History (SPMOH) highlights the work of the legendary Florida Highwaymen, a group of Black artists who overcame Jim Crow to introduce natural Florida to the nation, in a new exhibit.
Depending on the night of the week, visitors might find live music or a DJ spinning dance tunes, a singles mingle, food vendors, or even karaoke (check out Catalyst on the Deuces on Facebook for updates).
From the 1950s to the 1970s, a group of 26 Black artists produced thousands of pieces of artwork depicting Florida’s unspoiled landscape. Because of Jim Crow laws, this group of 25 men and one woman were barred from showing in Florida art galleries, and instead sold their art from the trunks of their cars up and down US Highway 1.
More good news for the district was announced this fall when St. Pete native Latorra Bowles was named new executive director of The Deuces Live, a non-profit organization with a mission to reinvigorate the corridor as a desirable place to live, work and play.
Dubbed the “Florida Highwaymen,” they would sell their work of Florida’s rich landscape for as little as $25 a painting. Today, original Florida Highwaymen paintings are highly coveted and sell for thousands of dollars. Their artwork currently hangs in embassies, museums and galleries that would have once rejected the artists because of their skin color. In 2016, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened with 18 Highwaymen paintings in its collection. This exhibit of 26 paintings, on loan from a private collection, endeavors to honor them and keep their history alive. St. Pete Museum of History is located at the head of The Pier, 335 3nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg. Open daily; for hours and admission, go to spmoh.com. BRIEFS Chief’s Creole Café, the beloved restaurant in the historic Deuces corridor along 22nd Street S., has a new lease on life. After closing earlier this year, the space has been transformed into The Catalyst on the Deuces, described as “part lounge, part bar and part speakeasy” at night, with a coffee café ambiance for coworking with free wi-fi during the day Monday through Friday.
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January/February 2024
The popular St. Pete Black History Bike Tours continue monthly with historian and guide Josette Green and volunteer co-guides leading group rides that uncover historic sites such as Methodist Town and the Gas Plant District. It’s a 5-mile loop that lasts 3 to 4 hours. Upcoming rides are set for January 27, February 3 and 24, and March 9. Tours begin at 9 a.m. from the heart of The Deuces; a helmet is required. Beginning bikers are encouraged to rent an e-bike. For more information or to make a reservation, go to blackhistorybiketour.com; space is limited. The Woodson African American Museum of Florida and the St. Petersburg Opera present Classic Black, an evening of black excellence in classical music, at 5pm Sunday, January 28, at The Palladium. Tickets are $75 -$20. The annual gala fundraiser for the Woodson Warriors Scholarship takes place February 4 from 3 to 6 pm at The Coliseum. Guest speaker will by Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, AL. EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Sponsorships are available; individual tickets are $125. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to woodsonmuseum.org/exhibits-events-2024/
