ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – Flagler College and the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum are pleased to announce St. Augustine-based photographer Lenny Foster’s upcoming exhibition, In the Spirit of Lincolnville, which will include a selection of the artist’s photographs that celebrate the history and culture of St. Augustine’s Historic Black neighborhood, Lincolnville.
Foster will give a walkthrough of the exhibition at 4 p.m. Friday, November 3 in the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum, 48 Sevilla Street in downtown St. Augustine, followed by an opening reception until 8 p.m., in conjunction with First Friday Art Walk. This event is free and open to the public.
Over the last several years, Foster’s engagement with Black historical sites in St. Augustine, as well as members of the Black community, have formed the basis for several growing bodies of work. His research is evident in the series Where We Stand, Porch Portraits, and Where Dreams Became Memories, the content of which touches on topics from Spain’s colonization of the area in the 16th century to the establishment of Fort Mose in 1738, the first legally-sanctioned free Black town in the present-day United States, to more common sites that mark significance in the long history of Lincolnville. The bodies of work he has produced have not only informed an understanding of his own African American heritage but have expanded his understanding of the resilience and vibrancy of St. Augustine’s longstanding Black community, from the colonial period, through Jim Crow and Civil Rights, up until the present day.
Paying homage to this community, the artist calls attention to the people, architecture, and notable events that transpired along the streets of Lincolnville. Founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved people, the township has long been a prominent historically Black neighborhood. Where Dreams Became Memories features structures of architectural importance to the area, and Where We Stand marks sites of where significant events have occurred. While Porch Portraits include photographs of long time Black residents of Lincolnville, each of whom have experienced our rapidly changing city over the past half-century. The works included in this exhibition are part legacy and part preservation and reflect Foster’s vested interest in preserving the lives and legacy of Lincolnville.
ABOUT LENNY FOSTER: Lenny Foster is a photographer who has owned and operated a gallery in both Taos, New Mexico, and St. Augustine, Florida, since 1998. The artist has exhibited at venues throughout the U.S., including The Harwood Museum of Art, Taos Art Museum, Albuquerque Museum, and the Hubbard Museum of the American West. His work is a part of the permanent collections of The Harwood Museum, The Millicent Rogers Museum, The Muhammed Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and The Ross Museum at Ohio Wesleyan University, The Snite Museum at The University of Notre Dame and most recently at The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural center in Saint Augustine. He lives and works in St. Augustine, Florida.
CEAM programming is supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and a grant from the Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert Fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. This program is sponsored in part by St. Johns County Tourist Development Council.
The Crisp-Ellert Art Museum is an accessible building. If you are a person with a disability and need reasonable accommodation, please contact Phil Pownall at 904-819-6460. Sign Language Interpreters are available upon request with a minimum of three days’ notice.
Visit the website at www.flagler.edu/ceam, or contact Julie Dickover at 904-826-8530 or crispellert@flagler.edu
The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, while classes are in session. Please note the museum will be closed from Wednesday, November 22 through Saturday, November 25 for Flagler College’s Thanksgiving Break.
