During his residency, Foster will continue to explore Black historical sites within St. Augustine. Foster has taken a keen interest in the rich Black American history of the area. From Spain’s colonization in the 16th century bringing with them among the first Africans on the North American continent and the establishment of Fort Mose in 1738, to the first legally sanctioned free Black town in the present-day United States. And throughout the last four tumultuous centuries, that history included both Spanish and British rule.
Foster, who lives and works in St. Augustine, is especially interested in the Lincolnville neighborhood, founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved people. Other than a more recent wave of gentrification, this area has been a prominent historically Black neighborhood. A recent body of work entitled “Porch Portraits” includes portraits of long-time Black residents of Lincolnville, each of whom has experienced our rapidly changing city over the past half a century.
Foster’s engagement with these historical sites and people within the community stems from a deep desire to learn more about this history that is not well known but which connects to his history.
“In Saint Augustine, I have learned that long before the pilgrims arrived, the Spanish had settled in Saint Augustine and that my own African American heritage and history is deeply tied to that first settlement,” Foster said.
About the Artist:
Lenny Foster is a photographer who has owned and operated a gallery in both Taos, New Mexico, and St. Augustine, Florida, since 1998. His work encompasses landscape, still life, and portraiture documenting historic Black sites within St. Augustine and the Lincolnville neighborhood. It’s propelled by the search for beauty, and deeper truth conveyed within the medium of photography.
Foster has exhibited at venues throughout the United States, 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 most recently, The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in Saint Augustine. His work is also featured on campuses across the country, like in the Ross Museum at Ohio Wesleyan University, The Snite Museum at The University of Notre Dame.
The CEAM Artist Residency, in collaboration with Flagler College’s Department of Art & Design, is a regular program of artists-in-residence to engage in themes of place-making while collaborating with some aspect of St Augustine’s local community, the city’s significant and varied roles in American history, or its rich natural environment.
This program 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.
The Crisp-Ellert Art Museum is an accessible building. If you are a person with a disability and need reasonable accommodations, please contact Phil Pownall at 904-819-6460. Sign Language Interpreters are available upon request with a minimum of three days’ notice.
For further information on our programming, please 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 Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m., while classes are in session.
