WMA

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History

The Wiregrass Museum of Art is the result of a community’s genuine desire for the arts in the city of Dothan, Alabama and surrounding communities of the Wiregrass Region. Begun in 1991, WMA has grown to be the flagship of the arts in the Wiregrass with a mission to bring the fine arts and art education to Dothan and the Wiregrass Region. However, it took years of planning and dedication by a group of local people to bring WMA to life.

In 1986 a national magazine listed Dothan, Alabama among one of the “Worst Places to Live” in America. One reason the magazine gave was the city’s lack of a museum. To address the issue, current mayor at the time, Larry Register, appointed a Feasibility Study Committee to address the possibilities of establishing a museum in Dothan. Members of the committee included Sam Kates, Terry Slaughter, Lucille Smith, Bob Johnstone, Pat Flowers, Katrina Faulk, Lucille Quattlebaum, Elaine Johnson, Jeannie Maddox, Mary Heersink, Ann Hart, and Francina Williams.

Today the WMA is home to seven galleries exhibiting works from its more than 500 piece collection alongside the works of local, state and national artists. In addition to its galleries, the museum’s 12 thousand sq. ft. Conference Center, with a Great Hall and four meetings rooms, provides rental space for corporate and private events.

The WMA offers an assortment of art programs for citizens of the Wiregrass Region designed to create and enhance art participation, family and community involvement and art experiences. Financial support for these programs, preservation of the collection and other museum operations are received through annual appropriation for the city of Dothan, donations from private and public sources, grants and foundations, membership dues, and earned income.

Besides providing art and art education to the community of Dothan, WMA frequently partners with other organizations on various projects and festivals in the Wiregrass Region, these organizations include: Troy University, Dothan City Schools, Houston County Schools, The Downtown Group, The City of Dothan, Wallace Community College, Dothan Civic Center, Dothan Opera House, Landmark Park, Dothan Humane Society, Dothan Service League and the Dothan Wiregrass Art League.

WHAT WAS THIS PLACE?

This building hasn’t always been an art museum. For 36 years, from 1913 until 1949, it was the Dothan Municipal Light and Water Plant. Three coal-fired generators (4,500 kilowatts combined) and a million-gallon ground water storage tank kept pace with the city’s rapid growth until 1949, when all power was purchased from Alabama Power Company. The building is located adjacent Dothan’s Main Street Commercial Historic District. All of the buildings in this district are commercial and warehouse structures dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Dothan was developing as the trade and transportation center of the Wiregrass area. This building and its 2½-acre site are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1987, the Dothan City Commission passed an ordinance establishing a Museum Board charged with creating and maintaining a municipal museum of art. The old power plant was selected as the site, and a master plan was developed by the architecture firm of Donofro & Associates. Since that time, the citizens of Dothan have raised more than $3 million dollars toward the structure’s three-phase renovation. The City of Dothan, which owns the building, provides annual operating support, utilities and maintenance. The facility is operated by the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)3.

-- Compiled from information contributed by Douglas C. Purcell, Executive Director, Historic Chattahoochee Commission