Opening Reception | "Fair Winds to Elysium: William Bartram's Travels in East Florida, 1774-1778"

Professional and student artists who submitted pieces inspired by the flora and fauna of St. Johns County’s natural landscapes were selected following an open call to participate in the exhibition.

The exhibition will be displayed from Tuesday, April 16 until Wednesday, May 29 at the Rotunda Gallery of the St. Johns County Administration Building, 500 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine.

An exhibition preview will be held at 8:30 AM on Tuesday, April 16, with an evening reception on Wednesday, April 17 at 5:30 PM. The events are free and open to the public.

William Bartram is considered the first American-born naturalist who initially visited British East Florida in 1765 on an expedition organized by his father. Bartram became fascinated with the flora and fauna he observed along the St. Johns River, and returned to East Florida in the Spring of 1774 to record the region’s plants, animals, and indigenous people.

Bartram’s account of his adventures, Bartram’s Travels, is considered one of the most important scientific books of the time and is still in print today with descriptions of Florida’s vast biodiversity with scientific observations and illustrations of hundreds of plants and animals. The book mentions acres of citrus on plantations in Fruit Cove and Switzerland, Fla. which is assumed to be located near the present-day Alpine Groves Park in St. Johns County.