conservation through art
The Conservation Through Art (CTA) initiative uses creativity as a powerful tool for conservation—promoting awareness, deepening connection, and inspiring protection of Alabama’s public lands and wild places. Through public art exhibits, creative writing and art workshops, interpretive hikes, readings, and public talks, CTA invites people of all ages and backgrounds to experience nature through a new lens and to reflect on what these landscapes mean to our communities.
By blending art, storytelling, and outdoor exploration, Conservation Through Art helps foster a sense of wonder and responsibility—encouraging people not only to enjoy Alabama’s forests and wilderness areas, but to become active supporters of their long-term protection.
Wild Alabama is grateful for the support of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, whose funding helps make this work possible and brings conservation-centered creative programming to communities across the state.
2026 Conservation Through Art: Creativity in Nature
Wild Alabama’s 2026 Conservation Through Art: Creativity in Nature initiative invites people to engage with the endless creativity of the natural world through art, reflection, and outdoor experience. Research shows that creative connection in nature supports human well-being in meaningful ways—enhancing creative thinking while also contributing to mental and physical health.
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Through this program, participants are encouraged to slow down, observe deeply, and create from direct experience. When we learn to attend to nature with curiosity and care, we begin to understand that we are not separate from the natural world—we are part of it. Like nature itself, each of us is inherently creative, and art offers a powerful way to express our unique experiences of being alive and connected to place.
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Our 2026 creative collaboration partners include Jacksonville State University, Talladega College, and Athens State University, with additional partners expected to join throughout the year.
Meet the ARTISTS
conservation THROUGH ART 2026
COMING SOON!
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Calendar of CTA Events — 2026
(This calendar is in process. Please check back for updates and additional events.)
upcoming events
january 28, 2026
BioArt Curiosities
Instructor: Allison McElroy (Artist; Professor of Painting, JSU)
Location: Jacksonville State University — Hammond Hall, Room 106
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Registration: Required
march 21, 2026
Forest Bathing
Guides:
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Janice Barrett (Wild Alabama Education & Outreach Coordinator; Forest Bathing Guide)
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Anne Markham Bailey (Poet & Author; ANFT Certified Forest Bathing Guide)
Location: Talladega National Forest
april 2, 2026
Plein Air Painting
Instructors:
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Timothy Joe (Artist & NASA Engineer)
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Allison McElroy (Artist; Professor of Painting, JSU)
April 22, 2026
Writing the Wild
Instructor: Anne Markham Bailey (Poet & Author; ANFT Certified Forest Bathing Guide)
Location: Athens State University
june 17, 2026
Wild Wednesday
Guide: Janice Barrett (Wild Alabama Education & Outreach Coordinator; Forest Bathing Guide)
Location: Dugger Mountain Wilderness
june 25, 2026
Writing the Wild
Instructor: Anne Markham Bailey (Poet & Author; ANFT Certified Forest Bathing Guide)
Location: Athens State University
june 26-july 31, 2026
JSU Art Show
Location: Jacksonville State University
(details coming soon)
Exhibits & Experiences:
Year-by-Year
From galleries to the forest, these past programs reflect the many ways creativity can deepen our connection to wilderness and inspire protection of the places we love.
2025 Conservation Through Art: 50 Years of Wilderness in Alabama
Conservation Through Art: 50 Years of Wilderness in Alabama celebrates and elevates Alabama’s three federally designated wilderness areas—Sipsey, Cheaha, and Dugger Mountain—through a dynamic blend of creativity, education, and outdoor experience. This program connects people to these irreplaceable wild places through a traveling art exhibit, hands-on art and creative writing workshops, interpretive hikes, Forest Bathing walks, and engaging public talks that explore the history, value, and ongoing protection of wilderness in Alabama.
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Our first 2025 exhibit and accompanying events took place in March and April in and around the stunning Dr. William R. Harvey Museum of Art at Talladega College, with additional programming hosted in the Dugger Mountain Wilderness and the Cheaha Wilderness. Later in 2025, the Conservation Through Art exhibit continued at Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment in Huntsville, Alabama, reaching new audiences and inviting even more communities to experience wilderness through art.
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Through this initiative, Wild Alabama fosters deeper connection, inspires stewardship, and celebrates 50 years of wilderness protection in our state—reminding us that these lands are not only important to conserve, but also powerful places to experience, reflect, and create.
2025 Artists
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Gary Anderson
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Tony Barber
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Janice Barrett
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Elaine Booth
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Timothy Joe
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Bryce Lafferty
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Allison McElroy
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Yuri Ozaki
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Charles Seifried
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Jillian Sico
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Starr Weems
2023-24 Conservation Through Art:
Saving Alabama's Hemlocks
Wild Alabama’s Conservation Through Art initiative for 2023–24, Saving Alabama’s Hemlocks, used art and community engagement to raise awareness about the importance of protecting Alabama’s Eastern hemlock groves and the wild places they sustain. Through a traveling exhibit, this program invited audiences across North Alabama to explore the beauty, ecological significance, and vulnerability of these iconic trees—while inspiring stewardship and action.
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The Saving Alabama’s Hemlocks exhibit traveled to galleries across North Alabama, including:
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Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment (Huntsville) — Fall 2023
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Walker County Arts Alliance Gallery (Jasper) — Spring 2024
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Gadsden Museum of Art (Gadsden) — Summer 2024
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Little Old Rock Building (Double Springs) — Fall 2024
Through each stop, the exhibit helped connect new communities to conservation through creativity, reinforcing Wild Alabama’s mission to help people enjoy, value, and protect Alabama’s wild places.
