The exhibition will be on display until Friday, March 2, 2018. A free opening reception for the public, sponsored by the Marco Island Historical Society, will be held from 6 to 7 PM on Wednesday, December 13.
Paul Arsenault’s exhibit includes paintings that represent the pioneer days of southwest Florida’s maritime trading networks, as well as folk art, posters, and artifacts that relate to this heritage.
Arsenault’s paintings depict fish houses in Naples and
Submitted Isles of Capri, markets and general stores in Key West, clam canneries on Marco Island, and trading posts in the Everglades that were used by pioneers and Seminole Indians. Vessels that plied the Gulf catching fish, making deliveries, and transferring merchandise and passengers, such as the “Ina” and the “Bertie Lee” are represented in the exhibit, as is the replica of a pirate ship based in Key West that was the floating home office of treasure salvor Mel Fisher in the 1970s. There are also images of homesteads of some of the early growers and notorious characters whose produce was sailed, poled, or rowed to market from deep in the Everglades. Arsenault had the unique opportunity to meet some of the remarkable old-timers with deep roots in this area, which makes the exhibit particularly interesting.
The Marco Island Historical Museum is located at 180 South Heathwood Drive, Marco Island.
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