The late Earl Cunningham (1893-1977), a folk artist, was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame on Monday, June 2, 2003.

Secretary of State Glenda E. Hood presented the award to art collectors, Marilyn and Michael Mennello at a reception held at the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art in Orlando.

Earl Cunningham, now recognized as one of the greatest American folk artists, was a self-taught painter who used vivid colors to portray his own reflections of American life through a series of unique landscapes and seascapes. His life experiences influenced his works, which celebrate the beauty of nature and often depict dramatic storms or sunsets. Painted in the American folk art style, his canvases are filled with images of birds, trees, boats and the sea, and are a unique reflection of American history, from Native American life to more modern times.

The artworks of Earl Cunningham would not enjoy the recognition they do today if it were not for the vision and determination of art collector Marilyn Mennello of Winter Park. Ms. Mennello first recognized the artist’s genius in 1969, when she visited his Over Fork studio in St. Augustine and purchased one of his pieces. Years later, after the artist’s death in 1977, Ms. Mennello acquired 62 additional works and then, together with her husband, Michael, set out to find as many more as they could. Throughout his life, Earl Cunningham was not recognized as a significant artist and he rarely sold a painting. It was his dream to have all of his works displayed in a museum setting; a dream that was realized in 1998 when the City of Orlando opened the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art to house the Mennello’s extensive collection of Cunningham’s works.

Prior to the establishment of the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Earl Cunningham's paintings reached national prominence and were exhibited in one-man exhibitions in thirty museums across the United States. His work is represented in 10 major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Abbey Aldrich Rockefeller Museum in Williamsburg, Virginia. His paintings have also been displayed in several U.S. embassies as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program. In 2007, Cunningham will be the first folk artist to have a one-man exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

For more information about Earl Cunningham, visit the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art.