Letter from the Director – Summer

Dear Friends and Members, 

We are in full swing for summer at WMA, with new exhibitions being installed, a total of 12 summer camps including in-house and outreach programs, and #theHOTTESTpartyoftheyear. 

We’re halfway through summer camp programming this year and we’ve already seen hundreds of students. In-house camps have provided opportunities for students to create their own animation film during stop-motion animation camps; students have learned about pinhole photography and developed their own photographs in our darkroom; and they’ve made whimsical creatures out of clay. We’ve partnered with community organizations this summer including the Dothan Housing Authority, Wiregrass Boys and Girls Club, Hawk-Houston Youth Enrichment Center, and HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-School Youngsters), and have had fun teaching action and abstract painting, art techniques from around the world, and foundations in clay. 

Our classes and programs provide a foundation for creativity in our community, as well as important skills that students will take with them into higher education and the workforce. Our aim is to unify guests from all backgrounds through the transformative power of art. Another way we do this is by exposing our audiences to contemporary artists and their work through exhibitions, visiting artist workshops, and public programming. At WMA, we care about serving our community, and that means engaging with them in new, and meaningful ways. 

I hope you will join us this quarter to discover something new! New exhibitions open at Art After Hours on July 18 and include As Long as the Waters Flow: Native Americans in the South and East, featuring photography by Carolyn DeMeritt; Sight Lines, which is a collaborative installation by artists Katie Hargrave and Meredith Lynn that explores the mediation of nature through the lens, the vehicle, and modern machines; In Flux, an exhibition of ceramic works by Jessica Smith; and a community photography exhibition, Operation Art, featuring images submitted by area military members and their families. Third Thursdays, our new extended-hours programming each month, will continue with Write Night and Screen on the Green. 

Carolyn DeMeritt, “Tecumseh Deerfoot Cook, Pamunkey Reservation, VA,” 1997

And, summer wouldn’t be complete without everyone’s favorite party – #theHOTTESTpartyoftheyear – Yard Party for Art on August 10. This year will feature four bands and performers from around the region – Fulton Lee, Love Moor, Carver, and Suaze – alongside unique art installations and demonstrations. We’ve added some new ticket packages this year, while supplies last, and don’t forget to grab your ticket to the Oasis Tent – it sold out last year!

The crowd at 2018’s Yard Party for Art

We’ve always got a lot going on at WMA and we’d love to see you soon, and often!

Best, 

Dana-Marie Lemmer
Director and Curator