The mosaic benches throughout the Veterans Memorial Park in Fort Pierce were designed by Fort Pierce mosaic artist Anita Prentice to pay tribute to the Armed Forces of America. (Aug. 22, 2020)

The exterior home of Albert Ernest “A. E.” Backus also known as Beanie Backus an American artist famous for his vivid Florida landscapes who opened his home to artists and jazz musicians. (Aug. 22, 2020)

Outside the gated home of Albert Ernest “A. E.” Backus also known as Beanie Backus an American artist famous for his vivid Florida landscapes who opened his home to artists and jazz musicians. (Aug. 22, 2020)

The mosaic grave marker of John Maynor (1948-2016), one of the original Highwaymen artists, a group of about 26 African American landscape artists in Florida at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Fort Pierce. Anita Prentice, a Fort Pierce mosaic artist, adorned the grave marker using one of Maynor’s landscape works. (Aug. 22, 2020)

The Pine Grove Cemetery in Fort Pierce, Florida, has been the burial grounds for the African American community since the 1930s. The cemetery is where several of the Highwaymen, a group of about 26 African American landscape artists in Florida, are buried. These artists, taught by Alfred “Beanie” Backus, created some 200,000 paintings, despite facing many racial and cultural barriers. Like the “Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Heritage Trail,” “The Highwaymen Heritage Trail” was also created to feature this group of Black landscape painters. Anita Prentice created grave markers for several of The Highwaymen artists at this cemetery. (Aug. 22, 2020)

The mosaic grave marker for Alfred W. Hair, Sr. (1941-1970), one of the 26 original group of African American landscape artists in Florida, is buried at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Fort Pierce, Florida. The mosaic of his grave marker was competed by Anita Prentice replicating Hair’s work. Hair was often referred to as the ‘Founder’ of the Highwaymen artists. He is credited with being the organizer, motivator and encourager of the young artists. His home studio on Dunbar Street was a gathering place for many budding artists and salesmen. Hair is believed to be the only one of the group who took lessons from A. E. “Bean” Backus and is credited with initiating the use of Upson board as canvas, crown molding as frames and the ‘fast painting’ techniques used during the 1960s. (Aug. 22, 2020)

A mosaic by Fort Pierce mosaic artist Anita Prentice and 26 bronze plaques by local artist Pat Cochran bearing the individual names of the Florida Highwaymen and their celebrated landscape works around Florida at the Intermodal Transit Station to paying tribute to these artists inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. Anita’s large, colorful and blooming Royal Poinciana tree mosaic is a symbolic image used by many of The Highwaymen artists in their own art works.
(Aug. 22, 2020)

The Pine Grove Cemetery in Fort Pierce, Florida, where several of the Highwaymen, a group of about 26 African American landscape artists in Florida, are buried. These artists, taught by Alfred “Beanie” Backus, created some 200,000 paintings, despite facing many racial and cultural barriers. These two highwaymen artists, John Maynor and Carnell Smith, Sr.’s grave markers are adorned by beautiful mosaic replicas of their works by Fort Pierce mosaic artist Anita Prentice. While The Highwaymen paintings originally sold for very small sums, many of them are collectors items and are now worth thousands
of dollars. (Aug. 22, 2020)