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Leaving behind an indelible image

Parkinson's disease takes Mary Alice Queiros from a City Hall Art Gallery job.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published April 9, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - If there's one thing that Mary Alice Queiros won't miss about her job, it's climbing ladders.

During the 12 years she served as coordinator of the Brooksville City Hall Art Gallery, she figures she must have hung a couple of thousand paintings, most of which required lifting them onto hooks several feet above her diminutive form.

"It was the only part of the job I really dreaded," said Queiros, who retired in March. "The rest of it, the great people I came in contact with, the wonderful artists I was able to meet, I'll miss that very much."

Though 77, it isn't age that has forced Queiros to give up her beloved post at the gallery. Rather, it was her health, specifically, Parkinson's disease, which she says has robbed her of the vitality to do the job.

"It's terrible having to hide the fact that every time you raise your arm you're shaking like a leaf," Queiros said. "It became too uncomfortable for me."

The fact that the public gallery exists at all reflects the diligence and vision of a handful of Hernando County art lovers, who firmly believed that even folks in small communities need art in their everyday lives. Such was the mission that Queiros happily accepted in 1998, when she took over the volunteer role.

Over time, many of Central Florida's most prominent artists came to covet having their work hanging on the gallery's walls. For her part, Queiros was always a gracious host, welcoming everything from watercolor landscapes to abstract sculpture. Aside from nudity and images she felt might be offensive to the public, Queiros believed the gallery was a beacon for those who sought to be inspired by art.

"I got very few complaints," Queiros recalled. "But that didn't mean I just put up pretty pictures. I wanted the gallery to be known for high-quality works, a destination that people would make a point of visiting."

Not everything on display was actual art. Queiros, who collects Japanese artifacts, coordinated an exhibit of antique silk kimonos, using several from her own collection. Another exhibit featured colorful Indian saris.

At times, the gallery even led the way. In 2002, Queiros arranged to exhibit 45 original paintings by the Highwaymen, a fabled group of African-American artists from South Florida. The exhibit was one of the largest of its kind ever assembled.

A native of Natick, Mass., Queiros first visited Brooksville while on vacation in 1978 with her husband. After they were divorced, Queiros retired from her art teaching job and settled in High Point. While her original intention was to delve into her own artistic endeavors, Queiros said she couldn't help but be drawn into Hernando County's close-knit art scene.

"Back then there weren't a lot of places to go if you liked art and music," she said. "It was a handful of people who stuck together and worked to make things happen."

In addition to her role as gallery director, Queiros helped found the Brooksville Mural Society, an effort that, to date, has placed five original murals on building walls throughout the city. A sixth mural is in the planning stages.

Queiros' efforts over the years have not gone unappreciated. The Brooksville City Council named her the 2005 Great Brooksvillian, despite the fact that Queiros isn't an official resident of the city.

These days Queiros is found busy in her second retirement. She enjoys spending time with her 14 grandchildren and visiting with friends.

And when her artistic inspiration strikes, her drawing pad and pencils are never far away.

"Art has done so much to fill my life," Queiros said. "One of my greatest joys has been knowing that perhaps I've helped pass at least a little bit of that along to others."

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 352 848-1435.

[Last modified April 8, 2007, 22:53:23]