On July 18, 2019, the Dixie Art Colony Foundation will host PART III of a two-year series about Alabama’s New Deal Art Projects. The series features Dixie Art Colonists that participated in the federal art programs. At this program, we will unveil our latest acquisition, a 30-inch watercolor study by KELLY FITZPATRICK for his Ozark Post Office Mural.
The LUNCH & LEARN program will be held in Trinity Hall at Trinity Episcopal Church, located directly across the street from Winn Dixie and McDonald’s at 5375 US Highway 231, Wetumpka, Alabama. The optional lunch will begin at 11:30 am, followed by an educational program that will focus on DAC co-founder Kelly Fitzpatrick and his participation in the New Deal art projects. There is no charge for lunch, but donations will be excepted to help cover the cost of the meal.
According to Mark Harris, founder and, director of the DAC Foundation, “To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first time this painting has been shown in a public setting.” The 1938 watercolor painting titled The Great Canoe Fight depicts the legendary canoe fight that took place on the Alabama River just below Fort Madison on November 12, 1813. In the scene, Captain Samuel Dale, Jeremiah Austill, and James Smith are shown battling the Red Stick Creeks while standing in a canoe.
In addition to Kelly Fitzpatrick’s two Alabama post office murals located in Phenix City and Ozark, Fitzpatrick also produced a considerable number of easel paintings through the Federal Art Projects. The slide presentation will include a narrative about The Great Canoe Fight and images and information about many of Fitzpatrick’s other New Deal Art projects.
The Great Canoe Fight painting was recently donated to the Dixie Art Colony Foundation by the Williams family of Santa Rosa, Florida. For more information, call the Dixie Art Colony Foundation at 334-513-1086.