A capsule collection of Florida Highwaymen paintings will be showcased in the Cultural Heritage Exhibit in the City Hall atrium, 1565 First Street, beginning Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Known as Florida’s legendary Black landscape artists, the Florida Highwaymen emerged in the 1950s in the agricultural communities of Fort Pierce and Gifford, Florida. The group of young painters, which grew to include 25 men and one woman, became known as The Highwaymen. They were prolific painters who sold their artwork from the trunks of their cars during the post-World War II boom because they were unable to exhibit through traditional means due to racial barriers. While making ends meet, they also made a significant contribution to the genre of Florida landscape painting. The 26 original Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. The exhibit is on loan from Roger Lightle, a Highwaymen art collector and owner of  the Highwaymen Art Specialists, Inc. in Vero Beach, Florida. Since the late 1990s, Lightle has collected approximately 700 Highwaymen paintings, amassing one of the most relevant collections of the genre. The Cultural Heritage Exhibit is free and open to the public during City Hall hours, Monday–Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lectures and tours of the Florida Highwaymen exhibit will be offered twice Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024:  10 a.m. and 6 p.m.  Each session will be approximately 60 minutes with Roger Lightle leading the lectures. The City Hall Cultural Heritage Exhibit launched in November 2022 to beautify the City Hall lobby while sharing Sarasota and Florida’s rich history in arts and culture. Pieces are on a 6-month rotation. Previous exhibitors include the Arts Advocates, Circus Arts Conservatory, The Sarasota Architecture Center and the Sarasota County History Center archive.