Birmingham Art Association

Birmingham Art Association (BAA) is the oldest arts organization in the region and has been an independent association of visual and performing artists, arts enthusiasts, writers, and musicians for most of the last century.

BAA particularly supports the efforts of emerging artists to have their talent exposed to the world, and we provide a Gallery for this purpose.

The Birmingham Art Association, founded in 1908 as the Birmingham Art Club. BAA was one of the city's earliest organizations led by both artists and art patrons.

Birmingham artists Della Dryer, Willie McLaughlin, Alice Rumph and Mamie Holfield, formed the group primarily to promote the arts of the city. They drew together 57 charter members and soon were entertaining such celebrities as Guiseppe Moretti, sculptor of the world's largest cast-iron statue, "Vulcan," a Birmingham landmark for 100 years. Famed landscape and portrait painter Nicholas R. Brewer lectured to the members in the 1920's.

The Five Points fountain sculpted by famed Frank Fleming was purchased by the Birmingham Art Association.

Many notable figures from the Birmingham Art Club were Mrs. Bibb Graves, Belle Comer, Carrie Hill, Hugh Daniel, Cooper Green, and Mervyn Sterne.

In 1940, the club created a committee to pursue funds for the creation of a museum for Birmingham, and with a trust left to the club by Mamie Fogarty. With support of the Junior League and the City Commission, the Birmingham Museum of Art came into being in 1951.

BAA also started the Birmingham Festival of Arts soon after.

In the late 1980's, the BAA still had its offices located within the Birmingham Museum of Art. Peggy Ragland was it's secretary at this time and the BAA had many members including Anne Arrasmith, Mary Burnham, Jon Coffelt (the Kid), Beverley Erdreich, Frank Fleming, Patricia Gaines, Joe Hardin, Patter Hellstrom, Edward Lee Hendricks, Barbara Hirshowitz, Lou Hollingsworth, Martha Hopkins, Armor Keller, Betty Kent, Janice Kluge, Cordray Parker, Judith Taylor Rogers, Anita Ronderos, Toni Tully, and Carolyn Wade among many others.

In the early 1990's the BAA decided to split from the museum for lack of spaces committed by the Birmingham Museum of Art to show its members work. After succession the BAA was set on Second Avenue North

Book

• "The Birmingham Art Association in 1969: Changing of the Guard" Birmingham, Ala.: Cather and Brown, 1991.

External links

• Official website
• Operation New Birmingham (ONB)
• Birmingham Art Association was founded officially in 1908