The Wiregrass Museum of Art (WMA) is honored to announce a significant expansion of its collection through a promised gift of 45 photographs by accomplished photographer Jerry Siegel. The works are being donated by an anonymous longtime supporter of both the artist and the museum
The Wiregrass Museum of Art (WMA) is honored to announce a significant expansion of its
collection through a promised gift of 45 photographs by accomplished photographer Jerry Siegel,
made possible by an anonymous donor. This important addition demonstrates confidence in
WMA’s mission and the significant role the museum plays across the region. The gift features
Siegel’s portraits of prominent and emerging Southern artists—many of whom already have their
artwork represented in WMA’s permanent collection—underscoring his extraordinary ability to
reveal the character and creative spirit of his subjects within their own environments.
This gift will further strengthen WMA’s longstanding collaboration with Siegel. Over the years,
WMA has exhibited his work in group exhibitions including I, Too, Am Thornton Dial (2023)
and Nice Work If You Can Get It (2021) which showcased his powerful, intimate portrayals of
regional creatives and the places they call home. The 45 portraits reflect Siegel’s commitment to
capturing not only likenesses but the character, spirit, and creative energy of artists working
across the Southeast.
These new works will deepen our connection with the artists and communities Siegel has
documented, building on the stories in the museum’s collection, and underscoring WMA’s
mission to celebrate and preserve regional artistic heritage. “WMA has long taken pride in
elevating the voices and faces of artists from our region,” said WMA Executive Director Dana-
Marie Lemmer. “The addition of these 45 portraits by Jerry Siegel feels like welcoming an
extended family into our collection. These works will enrich our narrative of Southern artistry
and reinforce our commitment to honoring those who create it.”
A Selma, Alabama native and graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, Siegel has worked for
decades capturing people and places across the South. He received the inaugural Artadia Award
in Atlanta and has published two monographs: Facing South, featuring portraits of 100 Southern
artists, and Black Belt Color, a vivid exploration of the cultural landscape of Alabama’s Black
Belt. His work is held in numerous public, private, and corporate collections, including the High
Museum of Art, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Georgia Museum of Art, the Wiregrass
Museum of Art, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Over the past nineteen years, sixteen
museums have acquired his work, further establishing Siegel as a leading visual chronicler of the
American South.
Currently, Jerry Siegel’s solo museum exhibition is on view at the Greenville County Museum of
Art in Greenville, South Carolina, where his photographs continue to draw attention to the
vibrant community of Southern artists. An accompanying publication titled At This Moment:
Portraits of South Carolina Artists is also available.
For more information about the Siegel gift, or about WMA’s exhibitions and upcoming
programs, please contact the Wiregrass Museum of Art.
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