The Moods of Nature
The A.E. Backus Museum presents The Moods of Nature, the latest in its series of long-term outdoor exhibitions on its campus at 500 North Indian River Drive in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce, Florida. For this presentation of nine mural installations, the Museum has tapped into the rich institutional history of the organization to invite nine award-winning artists from the past thirty years of annual juried photography exhibitions. They were asked to submit their own interpretations of a famous quotation by the Museum’s namesake artist to grace the walls with fresh and inviting images.
“Whether it be a storm across the Glades, the caress of a fresh breeze, or the silence of the deep woods, it has always been my desire to interpret the moods of nature.” — A.E. Backus, 1977.
The nine impressively large murals are 6- and 8-feet tall and stretch around the east and north facades of the building in Veterans Memorial Park on the shores of the Indian River. The exhibition and Outdoor Mural Plaza are accessible to the public without charge, even on days or hours when the Museum is closed to the public. The images and information about the artists can also be viewed at https://www.backusmuseum.org/mural-plaza. The Moods of Nature will be on display for three to five years.
The artists participating in The Moods of Nature invitational exhibition include Austin Bell (Tallahassee), David Bence (Vero Beach), Manuel Carela (Port St. Lucie), Joe Campanellie (Palm Coast), Dawn Currie (Indian Harbour Beach), Bob Gibson (Tequesta), Erika Masterson (Satellite Beach), Susan Pantuso (Fort Pierce), and Michael Ricciardi (Vero Beach). All have been past top award winners in the Museum’s longstanding juried photography competition, Through the Eye of the Camera, celebrating its 30th anniversary this spring.
Thirty donors contributed to the exhibition supporting the Museum’s efforts to create a dramatic and emotional response to our natural environment. The Museum’s Director, J. Marshall Adams said, “We are grateful for the vision and support of our donors on this special project. With their help we were able to create a visible and long-lasting exhibition for residents and visitors to the community to enjoy over and over again, and on their own time.”
Inspiration for the Outdoor Mural Plaza, where the exhibition is on view, came from the original concept for the Fort Pierce Art Gallery, as depicted in a 1959 artist’s rendering by A.E. Backus. The Gallery envisioned presenting art and exhibitions on this spot in the open air, hanging directly on the walls outside. Exhibitions went up in the morning, and were taken down and secured at night. It wasn’t long before an air conditioning system was installed and programming was moved inside. But there was an undeniable accessibility to having art facing the public, on view for all to enjoy.
In 2016 as part of the Backus Museum’s most recent expansion, the idea of presenting art outside on the facade was revived and launched as a series of long-term thematic exhibitions. The 2017 inaugural exhibition Living Outdoors in Florida included works by artists Tiffany Beasi, Michael Enns, Mary Fragapane, Carlos Inocente Gonzalez, Russell Gulick, Ivan Roque, Tony Rosa, Pedro Rubio, and Jackie Schindehette.
Presentation of The Moods of Nature would also not be possible without the expert professionalism of these talented businesses and individuals. Each mural panel was printed and produced by SignEdge Graphics. Landscaping to complement the display was designed by Lisa Rouse Nelson and implemented by Gary Roberts Landscaping.
