conservation through art

Anne Markham Bailey is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and holds an M.F.A. in Book Arts from the University of Alabama’s Program for the Book Arts, as well as an M.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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Anne is a poet and author, book artist, and certified Forest Bathing Guide, and is passionate about developing and facilitating creative awareness programs. Her published works include two books of poetry, a creative awareness practice guide, and a children’s book. She also teaches creative writing with the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project.

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As the founder of Writing the Wild, Anne combines awareness in nature with creative writing. She serves as part-time staff at Wild Alabama and is Co-Director of the Conservation Through Art initiative.

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Anne  is committed to nurturing an awareness of and commitment to the wild places of this world, particularly through creative exploration

To learn more, visit annemarkhambailey.com.

Janice Barrett is a life-long artist and lover of forests. Growing up in rural Lawrence County, Alabama in the 1950s and 60s, going to the “mountains” is what her family did for outings. These mountains were the foothills of the southern Appalachians— the Warrior Mountains of Bankhead National Forest—and what was to become the Sipsey Wilderness. Following creek beds through hemlock-shrouded sandstone canyons with her parents and sisters, the sweet, pure air they were breathing set a love for the forest into Janice’s blood and nourished a strong tendency toward nature-inspired art. 

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Janice paints primarily in oils and watercolor.  As Education and Outreach Coordinator for Wild Alabama, she leads interpretive hikes, stewardship projects and forest bathing walks in Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness, and advocates for policies and management practices that protect public lands.

 

Janice weaves art into her non-profit work as a vessel for education and continually deepening her relationship with forests and all of wild nature.

 

Through art, guiding and advocacy, Janice works to sprout a new generation of forest lovers and protectors, taking children and adults to the “mountains” to walk the creeks and breathe that sweet forest air.

Timothy Michael Joe is a self-taught American representational artist from Greensboro, Alabama. His work is deeply inspired by a love for God’s creation, the conservation of the natural world, and the rich threads of history that shape our landscapes and communities.

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Working primarily in gouache, oil, soft pastel, and watercolor, Timothy brings depth, reverence, and storytelling to each piece. Through his art, he seeks not only to capture beauty, but to educate, uplift, and inspire others to value and steward the world around them.

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In addition to creating original works, Timothy travels to teach both in-person and online, sharing his techniques, passion, and creative process with students of all ages.

Bryce Lafferty is an artist and educator based in Jacksonville, Alabama. His watercolor drawings are represented by Momentum Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.

 

Bryce serves as Professor of Drawing and Painting and Department Head of Art and Design at Jacksonville State University. Originally from Connecticut, he earned his Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas.

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Together with his wife, Laura Johnson—designer and writer—established Mountain Road Art and Design Studio, and they are the proud parents of six children.

Allison McElroy is a dedicated professor of Painting at Jacksonville State University.  Her artistic journey began with traditional painting techniques, but she has since embraced the beauty of nature as her medium. 

 

Through hikes in the Sipsey Wilderness while admiring hemlocks, she collected soils and transformed them into oil paint.  Allison’s art seeks to blend the Earth’s essence with creativity, bridging the gap between nature and human expression.

Beth Rush is a K–12 art educator and painter based in Jacksonville, Alabama. Her painting practice focuses on non-objective work, using expressive color, rich texture, and intuitive mark-making to explore emotion, energy, and movement.

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As an educator, Beth fosters experimentation and creative risk-taking in her students. She believes the artistic process is just as meaningful as the finished piece, encouraging young artists to discover their own voice through exploration. 

Kelley Swatzell, DrPH, is a public health educator whose lifelong commitment to community well-being is rooted in her belief that healthy people and healthy environments are deeply interconnected.

 

With a career spanning maternal and child health, interprofessional education, and community-based program development, Dr. Swatzell emphasizes meaningful connection—to place, to people, and to purpose—through hands-on, collaborative initiatives. She has led and supported projects that unite students, local partners, and residents, including maternal and child health outreach efforts, interprofessional service-learning programs, and community health events such as the Cocky Cares for Calhoun County initiative.

 

Passionate about expanding access to outdoor spaces and fostering environmental stewardship, Dr. Swatzell advocates for the physical and mental health benefits of time spent in nature. Her work thoughtfully blends evidence-based public health practice with a deep appreciation for Alabama’s wild places.