Sailor Valentines are an art form that dates back hundreds of years, yet many of us have never heard of them. We have been missing out on work that is intricate, unusual, and exquisite. The Sailor Valentine exhibit at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum remains one of our most popular areas, with visitors taking the time to look closely at each piece. Not only are these Valentines a wonderful part of history, but the medium continues to inspire today’s artists. Pam Boynton gives us a priceless gift by sharing these artists and making their extraordinary works accessible, and understandable. These 18 artists and their work delight me every time I pick up this book. I can’t decide which astonishes me more—the creativity involved in each of these eight-sided boxes, so that they are all different, yet all the same; the exquisite shells the artists use in ways that are beyond my imagination; or the intricacies of the delicate, time-intensive work that it takes to translate a vision into a finished Valentine. I encourage you to take your time and look at each one carefully, slowly, and savor the talent and the history that they encompass with contemporary flair. The whole world can be found in these original creations, and I see something different each time I come back to them. They are love letters to the world.
Dorrie HipschmanExecutive DirectorBailey-Matthews National Shell MuseumSanibel, Florida