Pictured: Artwork by Florida Highwaymen artist Mary Ann Carroll.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Arts Advocates is proud to present “The First Lady of the Highwaymen,” a history lecture about the legacy of artist Mary Ann Carroll, on March 27, 2:00-4:30 p.m., in the Arts Advocates Gallery located in the Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The lecture will be presented by Carroll’s daughter, Dr. Wanda Renee Mills. After the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with Mills. Registration (free for Arts Advocates members; $20 for non-members) is required at ArtsAdvocates.org. The Florida Highwaymen were a group of 26 African American landscape artists, mostly self-taught from the Fort Pierce, Florida area, active from the mid-1950s into the 1980s. Because of the racial climate at the time, no galleries would accept their work, so they sold their art door to door or from the trunks of their cars along Florida’s eastern coast. The only female Florida Highwaymen painter, Carroll, whose landscapes are noteworthy for their vibrant colors, faced additional social and economic hurdles. The group’s renown grew internationally during the early 2000s, and in 2004 all 26 Florida Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. In 2011, Carroll presented a painting to Michelle Obama at the First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, D.C. Mills travels Florida to speak about her mother's historic legacy and has donated 12 of her mother's artworks to Florida universities. To learn more about or become a member of Arts Advocates, or to register for this event, visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

Pictured: Artwork by Florida Highwaymen artist Mary Ann Carroll.