A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery — Attraction in Fort Pierce

I am very disappointed in the A.E. Backus Museum’s handing of submissions at a recent juried show. I submitted 5 gallery wrapped canvas photos (from a high quality print house in the USA). I chose this print house due to the museum’s requirements of high quality submissions. When I arrived with my submissions the woman at the counter was very rough with my canvases while attaching the submission numbers to them and inspecting them (as they get inspected beforehand for scrapes, dust under glass if framed, ect). I asked her repeatedly to be more gentle, however it fell on deaf ears. I then heard her continue to be rough with them in the storage room as I was leaving. I just went to pick up 4 of the pieces (one is proudly hanging and will be picked up later). 1st they could not find my submissions and questioned if I knew how many I had brought because they only had record of 2. She eventually, after me insisting there were 4 to pick up, found them. When the woman brought them out from the store room she carried the canvases face to face rubbing the faces against each other as she walked and then roughly threw them on the floor. My heart sank. I pulled them off of each other and found that every single canvas is heavily scratched. All four corners scuffed and 2 are scratched on the faces. The photos all have a lot of black encompassed in the photos so it is very obvious. They also tapped the show numbers directly on the canvas causing additional damage. I pointed the damage out to the women who then brought the director from his office. He came out with his mind already made up with zero empathy for the fact that I spent over $1,000 in prints and entry fees and now due to their mishandling have pieces so scuffed and scratched they can’t even be hung in my home. He said I must’ve brought them that way (impossible due to them inspecting them upon drop off). He then insulted the quality of my pieces and choice of print house insinuating they were poorly made. They are from a very reputable printer in Kansas that many photographers use. Anything would scratch with the way they were handled. He made it very clear that nothing would be done to make it right, no accountability would come from their end, and continued to insult my pieces, so I left seeing nothing productive or positive coming from talking to him. Hoping that the one hanging isn’t scratched between now and then so I at least end up with one to hang in my home. It is just very disappointing and disheartening that a museum so deeply rooted in appreciating art would let their staff handle pieces so carelessly. Hoping some training on how to respectfully handle people’s pieces comes from this so no one else has to have artwork they put their hard earned time and money into damaged like mine. A.E. Backus believed in being supportive and encouraging to artists, not damaging and...

This was an excellent and endearing museum situated along the Indian River. Despite its quaint size, this museum packs a punch in terms of history, culture, and information. There was another art exhibit on display in tandem with the Backus gallery and the Highwaymen collective. Backus was referred to as the Dean of Florida Landscape Painting and was the catalyst for inspiration and training of the many members of the Highwaymen. This story hinges on confronting racial boundaries and embracing kindness, love, and inspiration. I’d say this is a must-do if you’re visiting Florida’s Treasure Coast.

Notes: ➡️ Parking onsite is free in the nearby marina lot ➡️ No public restrooms are available. You must buy gallery/museum tickets to access the restroom. ➡️ Admission is $5 with $2 off admission discounts for AARP, AAA, Veterans with ID and those over 65. Free Admission for Current Members, Students with ID, Active Duty Military Personnel and Children under 18. ➡️ Lisa at the front desk was incredibly friendly and informative. She helped to make our experience at the museum special and added context to some of the questions we...

A.E. Backus museum & gallery is a small, nostalgic art museum that displays the art of Fort Pierce native, A.E. Backus and the highwaymen. Backus was born in 1906 and is known for his realistic scenes of Florida. He is considered a pioneer of Florida landscape art, and inspired many other artist to emulate his work. Additionally, he played a significant role in teaching some of the artists that became known as the Florida highwaymen. The Florida Highwaymen were African-American artist who painted beautiful, unique and brightly colored untouched Florida landscape between the 1950s and 1980s. The museum is located in Fort Pierce, right off A1A and near the Indian River inlet and other tourist sites. The museum is little but very well laid out and beautifully kept. It has a art shop and the admission fee is only $5.00. AAA, seniors and vets receive a discount of 2.00 dollars. The staff is very cordial and provide a detailed explanation of Backus and his history. A wonderful place to visit if you love oil and canvas art of...