Thought to be one of the Deep South's first art colonies.
Help Preserve the Legacy
Today, the main colony structure at the Nobles Ferry site is almost unrecognizable, yet it remains intact. Many years ago this structure, referred to as the lodge, was converted into a private residence. The DAC Foundation is currently working with the new owner to restore the property and seek placement on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage.
Join us as we continue to explore Regionalism or American Scene painting and the legacy of Central Alabama's Dixie Art Colony.
Lunch & Learn ProgramsThe archives paint a nostalgic portrait of life at the Dixie Art Colony and insight into the lives of the Dixie colony participants.
View Our ArchivesYour charitable, tax-deductible gifts are needed to help us nurture and excite the next generation of southern artists.
Show Your SupportOur Venues
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DAC Nobles Ferry
The 1937–1948 site of the Dixie Art Colony on Lake Jordan located at 749 Old Ferry, Deatsville, Alabama. Tours are available upon request. FOR MORE…
Downtown Millbrook
The MILLBROOK CULTURAL ARTS CENTER: “THE ART MILL” is located at 3560 Grandview Road in Millbrook near the Village Green. For more information, call 334-312-2866.
Downtown Prattville
The PRATTVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is located at 131 North Court Street, in historic downtown Prattville.
Downtown Wetumpka
Visit the Dixie Art Colony Museum & Gallery, located at 219 Hill Street, in Downtown Wetumpka. The rotating exhibition of original artwork and memorabilia is…
Coming Events & Programs
Special Events
In the news
- 08 Oct
“On the Road in Houston Texas,” Part Two
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director The painting included in this post is one of six works of art by Richard Blauvelt Coe, recently
- 20 Sep
“On the Road in Houston Texas,” Part One
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director It's always exciting when the Dixie Art Colony Foundation receives telephone calls and emails from followers across the
- 02 Sep
GALLERY TALK: Doris Alexander Thompson
Read moreThank you to those who attended our first "GALLERY TALK" event on August 31, 2024, at the Prattville Creative Arts Center. We were pleased to
- 26 May
ECHOES OF THE PAST Part One: Alabama’s Gulf Coast
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director For those who lived or vacationed on Alabama's Gulf Coast during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, you are
- 17 May
Richard B. Coe Etchings Added to the Collection
Read moreSeven etchings included in the Birmingham Museum of Art's 2018 exhibition, "MAGIC CITY REALISM: Richard Coe's Birmingham," have been added to the DAC Foundation Permanent Collection.
- 05 Mar
All About John Kelly Fitzpatrick
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director Due to the outstanding feedback we received from our January 18, 2024, Lunch & Learn program, "All About
- 16 Nov
Exploring 20th Century Modernism in the American South
Read more“Southern / Modern” wasorganized by the Mint Museum in collaboration with the Georgia Museum of Art. The publication, which features essays by leading scholars in the field, was
- 18 May
DAC Foundation Collection Continues to Grow
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director We are pleased to announce that two Arthur Walter Stewart watercolor landscapes were recently donated to the Dixie
- 23 Jul
Foundation “Lunch & Learn” Programs Resume
Read moreThank you to those who joined us for our first public DAC Foundation LUNCH & LEARN program since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted us to suspend
- 08 May
DAC Foundation Receives A Major Donation
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director On behalf of the DAC Foundation Board of Directors, I am excited to announce a major gift made
- 03 May
A Weekend on Alabama’s Gulf Coast: Part One
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director What a wonderful weekend—it isn't easy to know where to begin in summarizing our weekend on Alabama's Gulf
- 26 Mar
COMING SOON…A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT
Read moreLady Mary Montgomerie Currie once wrote in a poem, "GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT." Shown is Warree C. LeBron in the Dixie Art
- 29 Jan
Ninth Richard Brough Watercolor Added to the Collection
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, Founder & Director I am pleased to announce the addition of a ninth painting by Dixie Art Colony artist Richard Burrell
- 03 Dec
A Special Message from our Founder
Read moreThe Dixie Art Colony Foundation will be temporarily closed from December 3 until December 20, due to the passing of our founder's mother, Amanda Ellen
- 09 Nov
DAC “On The Road” In Birmingham
Read moreOn Thursday, November 4, the DAC Foundation was "On The Road" in Birmingham, Alabama, with the NEW ERA STUDY CLUB, founded in 1917. DAC Foundation
- 14 Oct
Arthur Stewart Still-life Added to the Collection
Read moreWe are pleased to announce the acquisition of an additional painting by Dixie Art Colony artist Arthur Walter Stewart for the DAC Foundation collection. "This
- 20 Sep
Explore the DAC Foundation Collection: Part II
Read moreEXPLORE THE DAC FOUNDATION COLLECTION and view 150 WORKS OF ART from the collection using our online database. Recently 50 new entries were added to the
- 06 Sep
A Retrospective of the Works of Carlos Alpha “Shiney” Moon
Read more–by Mark Andrew Harris, DAC Foundation Founder & Director Due to COVID-19, our 2020 exhibition and lecture series titled "A Retrospective of the Works of
- 26 Aug
Abstract Works from the Collection: Part Two
Read moreIn PART-TWO of this four-part series, we will look at three works of abstraction by Dixie Art Colony artist CALOS ALPHA "SHINEY" MOON and two works by
- 17 Aug
The Story Behind the Founding of the DAC Foundation: Part Two
Read moreWith growing frequency, we are asked what sparked the founding of the DAC Foundation. The answer is a rather lengthy story with numerous twists and
- 10 Aug
DAC Foundation Planning for a New Home
Read moreOn July 1, 2021, Dixie Art Colony Foundation founder and director Mark Harris announced expansion plans for the foundation. Harris stated, "Based on mounting interest
- 17 Jul
DAC Foundation Donations Continue to Soar
Read moreWe are pleased to announce that during the past 60 days, an additional 53 WORKS OF ART have been donated to the DAC Foundation. The
- 06 Jul
The Story Behind the Founding of the DAC Foundation: Part One
Read moreWith growing frequency, we are asked what sparked the founding of the DAC Foundation. The answer is a rather lengthy story with numerous twists and
- 21 Jun
Fifth Richard Brough Painting Acquired
Read moreThe DAC Foundation is pleased to announce another painting by Dixie Art Colony artist Richard Brough has been added to the collection. Mary Carolyn Gibbs
- 10 Jun
Barbara B. Davis Paintings Added to DAC Foundation Collection
Read moreTwo oil portraits by River Region artist Barbara Binford Davis have been added to the DAC Foundation "New Generation Collection." The "New Generation Project" began in 2016 at the
Quotes about the Dixie Art Colony and the participants:
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Kelly was the life of the colony…. He laughed continually. All he took seriously were art and courtesy—knightly courtesy to people who bored him. Materialism he disdained, responsibility, he’d have nothing of, even refusing to drive a car. He laughed at politics, business status, ambition, ego, pride, vanity… It was impossible not to love him. He made us feel like kids at a circus.
Karl Ferdinand Wolfe -
Mrs. Warree LeBron was my art teacher at Sylacauga High School in the early 1960s. She found something positive to say about everyone’s work. She was a teacher I will never forget. I hear her and see her now as I work on my paintings. I just wish she was looking on to advise………hmmm, perhaps she is!!! She was a wonderful human being and a gift to her students.
Deedie Williams Meith -
I grew up in Wetumpka and knew Kelly Fitzpatrick. Even though I was only in the 3rd grade when he died I knew I wanted one of his paintings. My friends and I would ride our bikes to Kelly’s house and peer in the windows at all the painting he had stacked up in the various rooms. On occasion, he would invite us in for a closer look. If we had only known then how special that was!
Jane Tarver