2012 Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist Show Vintage Florida souvenirs and tropical décor, meet the Florida Highwaymen artists, complimentary valuations of vintage Florida art, lectures “The Culture of Aloha Shirts” (wear your vintage Aloha shir
News-Antique.com - Jan 06,2012 - Florida Memorabilia, Tropical Touches & Highwaymen Artists
at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg
Sunday, January 29, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - St. Petersburg College’s historic Palladium Theatre, in downtown St. Petersburg, will be the new location for the “Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist Show,” being held on Sunday, January 29th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Celebrating 10 years in 2012, the focus of the January 29th “winter show” remains on early Florida tourist memorabilia, but will also see a return to the eclectic offerings of earlier Floridiana Festivals, as well as incorporating a touch of Hawaiiana. Many of the U.S.’s premier collectors of Floridiana will be exhibiting on January 29th, and attendees will find everything for sale from fun Florida travel ephemera and tacky tourist treasures like alligator handbags and flamingo figurines, to sought-after collectibles such as hand-painted jewelry with miniature Florida scenes, vintage Florida photographic art, and citrus and cigar box labels. Discover small furnishings and lighting made of Cypress knee woods, vintage wall mirrors with flamingo images, ceramic statues of tropical birds, and old Florida art. Decorators will especially enjoy the tropical backcloths and other vintage fabrics. One of the largest collections of vintage Florida license plates will be available for sale as well.
Several Florida authors will be participating. Larry Roberts, author of "Florida's Golden Age of Souvenirs: 1890 to 1930" and considered by many to be the "guru" of collecting old Florida memorabilia will be exhibiting and selling, as well as Ken Breslauer, author of "Roadside Paradise -- the Golden Age of Florida's Tourist Attractions 1929-71" and Wayne Ayers, author of numerous Florida history books, including “Tampa Bay's Gulf Beaches: Fabulous 1950's and 1960's” and “St. Petersburg: The Sunshine City.”
The Florida Highwaymen are an important part of Florida’s cultural legacy, and the January 29th show is a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with these artists, who will be selling their beautiful Florida sea and landscape paintings. James Gibson, Issac Knight, R.L. Lewis, Roy McLendon Sr. and Carnell Smith are some of the Highwaymen artists who will be participating. Complimentary valuations of vintage Florida paintings - including that of the Highwaymen - will be available at the show by Robert LeBlanc of highwaymen-buy-sell-trade, an appraiser and expert in the field.. If you’re not sure what your old Florida art is worth, or who the artist may be, bring it with you to the show.
Other special features include lectures and slide presentations. Dr. Gary Moss will discuss "The Culture of Aloha Shirts." His collection of vintage Aloha shirts is featured in the Schiffer book “Hawaiian Shirts: Dress Right for Paradise,” and has also been exhibited at the American Textile History Museum. This interesting lecture will cover the history of Aloha shirts, what makes them collectible, and how to recognize if your shirt is valuable. Wear or carry your vintage Aloha shirts to receive a free appraisal of age and value. Several exhibitors will have vintage Aloha shirts, including “The Aloha Shirt” folks, who
