Emilee the Manatee
Jack Beverland (“Mr. B.”), 2005
Oldsmar Public Library, 400 St. Petersburg Dr. E., Oldsmar
Emilee the Manatee was part of Jay Goulde’s 2005 “Manatee Menagerie”, a community wide art project throughout the Tampa Bay area. The project was directed by the Outdoor Art Foundation, to raise awareness about the plight of the West Indian Manatees found throughout Florida. Jack Beverland, “Mr.B.”, was commissioned to paint Oldsmar’s sponsored manatee, with the assistance of students from Forest Lakes and Oldsmar Elementary Schools.
The Oldsmar Cultural Art Foundation paid the initial sponsorship cost of $2,000 to assure the piece stayed under the ownership of the City. Emilee was restored in 2020 and is currently on display in the galleria of the Oldsmar Public Library.