FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marcia Hope Goodwin 407-246-3107

THE LATE EARL CUNNINGHAM TO BE INDUCTED
INTO THE FLORIDA ARTISTS HALL OF FAME

ORLANDO, FL (May 29, 2003) – The late folk artist Earl Cunningham (1893-1977) will be inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame on Monday, June 2, 2003, at 5:30 p.m. at the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art.

Marilyn and Michael Mennello will accept the award, presented by Secretary of State Glenda E. Hood, on Mr. Cunningham’s behalf.

“Mr. Cunningham’s posthumous induction into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame is a great accomplishment for his family, for the museum and for the city,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Earl Cunningham, now recognized as one of the greatest American folk artists, was a self-taught painter who used vivid colors to portray his own reflections of American life through a series of unique landscapes and seascapes. His life experiences influenced his works, which celebrate the beauty of nature and often depict storms or sunsets. Painted in the American folk art style, his canvases are filled with images of birds, trees, boats and the sea and are a unique reflection of American history, from Native American life to more modern times.

The artworks of Earl Cunningham would not enjoy the recognition they do today if it were not for the vision and determination of art collector Marilyn Mennello of Winter Park. Ms. Mennello first recognized the artist’s genius in 1969, when she visited his Over Fork studio in St. Augustine and purchased one of his pieces. Years later, after the artist’s death in 1977, Ms. Mennello acquired 62 additional works and then, together with her husband, Michael, set out to find as many more as they could. Throughout his life, Earl Cunningham was not recognized as a significant artist and he rarely sold a painting. It was his dream to have all of his works displayed in a museum setting, a dream that was realized in 1998 when the City of Orlando opened the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art to house the Mennello’s extensive collection of Cunningham’s works.

Established by the Florida Legislature in 1986, the Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes persons, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the arts in Florida either as performing or practicing artists in individual disciplines. These individuals contribute to Florida’s national or international reputation as a state with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence. The Florida Artists Hall of Fame currently consists of 32 inductees, including musician and performer Ray Charles, writers Zora Neale Hurston, Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway, and visual artists Duane Hanson, Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist. For more information about the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, please visit www.florida-arts.org.

The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art is located at 900 East Princeton St.

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