A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery
500
N Indian River Dr.Fort Pierce, FL 34950
AT A
GLANCE: A.E. Backus Museum &
Gallery
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Parking
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Plentiful and free,
onsite parking.
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Amount of time needed
to peruse exhibits:
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35 – 50 minutes
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Amount of time needed
for gift shop
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30 – 45 minutes
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Dress code
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Dress tastefully. This is a “higher end” gift shop and museum
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Be sure to…..
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Shop on the left side
of the store (read on for explanation).
You are such a rebel.
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Nearby/other
establishments to visit
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Wander down to the
coastline and stay a few minutes to take in the beauty of the scene. You’ll see plenty of boats moored at the nearby
marina.
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Walkability, general
downtown area / amount of traffic
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The area immediately
surrounding the A.E. Backus Museum is walkable. You will need a car, though, to get to
Archie’s for lunch.
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Safety, in terms of
type and number of crimes committed in general area
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Generally safe. Practice the normal precautions of stowing
your valuables out of sight and locking your car.
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| Outside of the A.E. Backus Museum |
We return to Ft. Pierce, Florida this week, home of the Navy UDT Seal Museum, the Manatee Observation and Education Center, Heathcote Botanical Gardens, and the St. Lucie Aquarium/Smithsonian Research Station. This week’s museum boasts a story of Florida’s untamed and wild landscapes, renegade artists, and the inspiration of the art movement that made the artists famous. I speak of the Highwaymen, also known as the Florida Highwaymen. They were a group of 26 black artists who painted the colorful Florida landscapes depicting palm trees, oceans and the sun and sky. Their busiest times were from the 1950 through the 1980s. However, these were the decades in the United States before the Civil Rights movement, and most museums had no interest in displaying art from a group of self-taught black artists. Read about them at these sites: The Florida Highwaymen , Florida artists who defied the odds ,or Florida Highwaymen Paintings. Luckily, the Highwaymen had a mentor and a supporter: renowned American artist A.E. Backus. Why am I telling you this? Most of Highwaymen originals are now worth a few thousand dollars. Now it might be worth ferreting out the garage sales in your area. And, again, you will have the knowledge, to impress your friends and family with such an intimate knowledge of Florida. Kudos to you! I’m not going to lie to you. You know I’m not an art critic, but to me the paintings are on the kitschy side.
It is the Backus museum that we visit today, mentor of the Highwaymen. A museum whose mission, according to their website, is “to promote arts in the community and to perpetuate the artistic and humanitarian legacy of A.E. Backus." Step through the front door, and you’ll find that the Backus Museum has an airy, yet comfortable, design. You pay the $5 admission fee, turn around, and you find yourself in the middle of the gift shop. No magic, just creative design. There are no bumping into walls here, because this is an open-air gift shop. I thought I was walking through one of the museum’s exhibits, and was absolutely delighted that I was in the middle of the gift shop. No walls, but display after display of beautiful and wondrous things. My shopping mojo kicked in as I stood there transfixed.
The gift shop is
invisibly divided: consignment jewelry
and original art on the left and
the traditional gift shop items are on your right. Some of the vases on the left side are beautiful.
the traditional gift shop items are on your right. Some of the vases on the left side are beautiful.
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| A fish from the left side |
Sigh. I shuffled over to the photo-friendly right-hand side of the gift shop, and headed to the far right to look at full-sized reproductions of a few of Backus’ paintings. Make it a point to gaze at the “Poinciana Tree” print, because
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| The Poinciana Tree |
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| Poinciana items |
Maneuver to the book section, again to your right, for great titles reflecting rural and old-time
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| "A Land Remembered" |
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| Ornaments |
A rack of children’s
books are on display as you work your way to the interior displays. They are
joined by coloring books and a
supreme set of colored pencils, both geared toward adults. Before you leave this area, check out the
funky and handmade tote bags. Why not
pick one up for a friend or co-worker?
Just remember that to keep the universe in balance, you must now buy
something for yourself.
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Head over to another
display of children’s books that deal with Florida’s environment. I loved how the gift shop selected “Happy
Is this a good gift shop? I’d have to give it mixed
reviews. Yes, it’s undeniable that the
gift shop supports the art of A.E. Backus.
However, the gift shop had no refrigerator magnets, shot glasses, or
branded wearables. It had coffee cups,
which are sometimes just as good as shot glasses. For some of you, that’s not a big deal. For the others of us, well… I have to admit
that I think it’s fun to score a refrigerator magnet.
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| A rock rooster |
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| Rock Geese |
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| At Archie's |
We settled at a
table , where all of us ordered the fish basket, based on our server’s
recommendation. It was good. The fish
was lightly battered and pan fried, not at all like the heavy beer batter and
deep fried fish commonly available. I
was also pleasantly surprised to read the sigh “Gift Shop located by restrooms.” Think about it. How many times have you gone out for lunch
and not had to use the restroom? The restrooms are located behind, and to the
right of the band. Yes, there was a band
performing while we ate our fish, complete with a horn section (the band, not
the fish). Archie’s has a fun and lively
vibe, and is appropriate for children.
For a restaurant, Archie’s
gift shop is a fairly good sized one. It’s
packed floor-to-ceiling with branded wearables from toddler-sized to 4X.
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